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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2020  with  funding  from 
Getty  Research  Institute 


https://archive.org/details/factsforladiesbeOOgunn 


Books  Bought,  Sold  and  Exchanged 

THE  WOIMES  BOOK  CO. 

T't  tviission  St.  S-  Jfc^. 


HARRIET  HUBBARD  AYER 


Facts  for  Ladies 


BEAUTY 

DIJMING,  BY  1^1  NS  LEY'S 
HOUSE  DECORATIOJY 
HEALTH  OFWO^E^J  AJNID  ® H I L D F^EJM 

BY  ROBERT  A.  GUNN,  A.  M.,  M.  D. 


EDITED  BY 

AMY  G.  AYER. 


CHICAGO: 

AMY  G.  AYER,  Publisher, 

109  and  hi  Wabash  Avenue. 

1890. 


COPYRIGHT, 

AMY  G.  AYER, 


1890. 


RECAMIER. 


PREFACE. 


“A  thing  of  beauty  is  a  joy  forever  ; 

Its  loveliness  increases ;  it  will  never 
Pass  into  nothingness.” 

John  Keats. 

THIS  book  is  designed  to  occupy  a  position  at  once 
unique  and  important.  It  is  a  book  expressly  for  ladies. 
It  deals  exhaustively  and  intelligibly  with  a  vast  number 
of  matters,  concerning  which  all  ladies  ought  to  be  thor¬ 
oughly  informed.  In  its  comprehensive  sweep,  it  covers 
the  whole  ground  of  personal  and  domestic  life,  and, 
especially  for  ladies  just  entering  on  the  many  cares  and 
responsibilities  of  housekeeping,  it  would  be  exceedingly 
difficult  to  find,  among  the  many  books  devoted  to  these 
matters,  a  more  suitable  adviser,  friend  and  guide. 

The  wisest  of  householders  and  the  most  sagacious 
and  experienced  of  women,  will  sometimes  find  themselves 
placed  in  circumstances  where  they  are  a  little  at  a  loss  to 
know  what  is  just  the  best  thing  to  do.  But  it  is  hardly 
conceivable  that  any  exigency  could  present  itself,  or  any 
question  arise,  that  this  book  would  not  fully  meet  or 
answer. 

In  the  very  outset,  the  book  deals  boldly  with  the 
question  of  personal  beauty,  and  points  out  the  secret  of 
its  development  and  perpetuation.  Some  foolish  people 
seem  to  think  that  there  is  vanity,  and  only  vanity,  in  the 
desire  to  be  beautiful.  It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  there  is 


3 


IV 


PREFACE. 


some  natural  pride  in  the  conscious  possession  of  beauty. 
But  surely  this  pride  is  not  to  be  wholly  condemned!  A 
lady  ought  to  be  as  beautiful  as  she  possibly  can.  This  is 
her  duty,  it  may  also  be  her  pride.  Great  masters  of  art 
in  the  old  world  and  the  new,  have  found  nothing  yet  in 
the  whole  realm  of  nature  more  beautiful  than  “  the 
human  form  divine.”  If  this  be  so,  the  first  and 
nearest  duty  is  to  guard  and  conserve  that  beauty  by 
patient,  jealous,  constant  care.  There  is  no  virtue  in 
uncomeliness,  and  it  is  a  shame  to  neglect  that  gracious 
human  form  divine,”  which,  by  a  little  care,  might  be 
made  “  a  thing  of  beauty  ”  through  youth  and  years,  and 
on  to  venerable  age.  The  “  temple  ”  of  the  body  should 
always  be  kept  pure  and  bright  and  beautiful.  The  sug¬ 
gestions  under  this  head,  concerning  the  complexion,  the 
hair,  the  hands,  the  teeth,  and  the  general  grace  and 
beauty  of  the  human  form,  are  as  simple  and  detailed  as 
they  are  important. 

Passing  from  this  matter  of  personal  beauty,  the 
book  then  deals  with  the  important  question  of  dining. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  be  a  pronounced  epicure  to  know 
that  dining,  properly  understood, -is  a  fine  art.  There  is 
all  the  difference  in  the  world  between  “  eating  ”  and 
dining.”  Mr.  Gladstone,  the  octogenarian  statesman, 
is  said  to  have  remarked  that  the  secret  of  the  robustness 
of  his  venerable  age  was  the  fact  that  he  “  never  allowed 
himself  less  than  an  hour  for  the  pleasant  business  of 
dining.”  The  hasty  lunch  of  the  city  is  one  thing,  the 
pleasant  dinner  of  the  home  is  another.  To  sit  down  to  a 
well-cooked  dinner,  gracefully  served,  with  a  few  con¬ 
genial  spirits  round  the  board,  is  one  of  the  chief  delights 
of  life.  Fifty  pages  of  this  invaluable  book  are  devoted 


PREFACE. 


v 


to  a  wise  resume  of  practical  hints  on  all  the  important 
points  connected  with  this  very  important  department  of 
social  life.  The  mode  of  arranging  the  dining-room  and 
setting  out  the  dining-table  with  a  judicious  use  of  cut¬ 
lery,  silver,  glass  and  flowers,  is  fully  discussed  ;  and  that 
discussion  is  followed  by  the  introduction  of  a  large  variety 
of  menus ,  with  recipes  for  all  kinds  of  delightful  dishes, 
the  excellence  of  which  has  been  proved,  not  by  occa¬ 
sional  experiment,  but  by  frequent  and  long-continued 
usage. 

The  book  next  deals  with  the  subject  of  house  decora¬ 
tion,  a  subject  that  during  the  last  ten  years  has  become 
a  matter  of  universal  interest.  The  building  of  a  house 
may  tax  the  skill  of  architect  and  builder,  but  the  furnish¬ 
ing  and  decoration  that  change  a  mere  “  house  ”  into  a 
“  beautiful  home/’  require  taste  and  skill  and  tact.  It  is 
not  wealth  only  that  goes  to  the  making  of  “  the  house 
beautiful,”  but  that  fine  sense  of  arrangement  that  knows 
what  colors  harmonize,  what  contrasts  are  desirable, 
what  forms  are  graceful,  and  where  “  a  sweet  disorder” 
is  infinitely  better  than  mere  order.  There  is  much  more 
taste  required  than  is  commonly  thought  in  knowing 
exactly  where  to  hang  a  picture,  and  how  to  drape  it 
when  it  is  hung.  The  home  is  woman’s  kingdom  ;  here 
she  reigns  a  queen  by  rights  divine,  and  here  her  genius 
and  taste  find  their  happiest  exercise.  The  drawing¬ 
room.  the  dining-room,  the  reception  hall,  the  parlors, 
the  library,  the  bed-rooms,  are  but  separate  estates  of  this 
one  home  realm,  each  of  which  requires  a  distinct  and 
separate  treatment.  Into  each  one  of  these  depaitments 
this  book  goes  with  wise  and  practical  suggestions,  and  so 
thorough,  and  exhaustive,  and  minute  are  these  sugges- 


VI 


PREFACE. 


tions,  that  it  seems  a  pity  that  any  household  in  the  land 
should  be  without  “  Facts  for  Ladies.” 

The  last  part  of  the  book  vies  with  all  the  rest  in 
practical  importance.  “Man  know  thyself”  is  a  good 
motto,  but  if  the  maidens  and  mothers  of  the  world  were 
better  acquainted  with  their  physical  organism,  and  the 
simple  secrets  of  health,  they  would  spare  themselves  end¬ 
less  and  unnecessary  suffering,  and  the  future  races  of  men 
would  be  cast  in  a  more  heroic  mold.  This  department 
covers  the  ground  of  Woman’s  Physical  Structure  —  Maid¬ 
enhood,  Womanhood  and  Wifehood;  Motherhood,  Baby¬ 
hood,  Childhood  ;  Diseases  of  Babyhood  and  Childhood  ; 
Diseases  of  Women  ;  General  Hygiene,  etc.  The  eleven 
chapters  of  this  medical  department  have  the  rare  advan¬ 
tage  of  presenting  their  various  themes  in  plain,  intelligible 
terms.  Too  frequently  such  matters  are  clothed  in  tech¬ 
nical  phraseology  to  such  an  extent  that  it  is  very  difficult 
to  clearly  apprehend  their  real  meaning. 


MRS.  SCOTT  MONCRIEFF, 


CONTENTS. 

I 

BEAUTY. 

PAGE. 

A  Beautiful  Complexion . 14 

Bathing  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -17 

An  Oily  Skin  -  -  -  -  -  -  -19 

Blackheads  - . 20 

Cold  Creams  - . -  20 

Wrinkles  - . 22 

Pimples  --------  2 7 

Freckles  ----.---28 

Hair  -  --  --  --  --30 

A  Beautiful  Form  37 

Developing  the  Bust  -  -  -  -  -  43 

Teeth  -  - . 44 

Hands  ---------  45 

Shoes  -.-------48 

Dress  and  Color  -  -  -  -  -  48 

Perfumes  --------  50 

DINING. 

Invitations  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  53 

Art  of  Dining  -  - . 55 

7 


viii  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Wines — Order  of  Serving  -  -  -  -  59 

Breakfast,  Luncheon,  Tea,  and  Family  Din¬ 
ners  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -6 1 

Carving  -  --  --  --  -  66 

Choosing  Fish,  Game  and  Vegetables  -  -6 g 

Flowers  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  75 

Thanksgiving  Day  Dinner  -  -  -  -  77 

Breakfast  Menu  ------  79 

Choice  Recipes  -------  80 

HOUSE  DECORATION. 

Harmony  for  the  Eye  -  -  -  -  -  113 

Woman’s  Kingdom  -  -  -  -  -  -  115 

The  Reception  Hall  -  -  -  -  -  -  116 

The  Drawing-Room  -  -  -  -  -  -  118 

Carpets  or  Rugs  -  -  -  -  -  -  124 

The  Library  -  -  -  -  -  -  -125 

The  Dining-Room . -  130 

The  Guest  Chamber  -  -  -  -  -  -  138 

The  Gentleman’s  Den  -  -  r  -  -  140 

The  Bed-Room  ------- 

Shades  for  the  Window  -  -  -  -  -  1 5 1 

Elegance  for  Little  Money  -  -  -  -  153 

Pretty  Devices  for  the  Home  -  -  -  156 

An  Authority  on  Designs  -  -  -  -  167 


CONTENTS. 


ix 


HEALTH  OF  WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN. 

CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE. 

Woman’s  Physical  Structure  ....  169 

CHAPTER  II. 

Maidenhood  —  Education  of  Women  -  -  177 

CHAPTER  III. 

MENSTRUATION  AND  OVULATION. 

Menstruation  —  Ovulation  —  Absence  of  Menses  — 
Chlorosis  —  Painful  Menstruation  —  Profuse  Men¬ 
struation —  Change  of  Life  -----  188 

CHAPTER  IV. 

WOMANHOOD  AND  WIFEHOOD. 

Courtship  —  Marriage  —  Celibacy  —  Sterility  -  -  204 

CHAPTER  V. 

MOTHERHOOD. 

Conception  and  Pregnancy — Signs  of  Pregnancy  — 
Foetal  Development  —  Maternal  Changes  During 
Pregnancy —  Hygiene  of  Pregnancy —  Disorders 
of  Pregnancy  -------  222 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MOTHERHOOD  —  continued. 

Painless  Childbirth  —  Natural  Labor  and  Its  Man¬ 
agement —  Difficult  Labor  —  Preternatural  Labor 
—  Complicated  Labor  —  Attentions  After  Labor 


X  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

—  Diseases  Following  Labor  —  Accidents  of  Labor 

—  Miscarriage  and  Premature  Labor  —  Prenatal 

Impressions  and  Mother’s  Marks  -  -  -  259 

CHAPTER  VII. 

BABYHOOD. 

Care  of  the  New-Born  Babe — Infant  Feeding  — 
Baby  Hygiene  —  Physical  and  Mental  Develop¬ 
ment  ---------  294 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

CHILDHOOD. 

Development  of  Both  Sexes  Alike  Till  Puberty  — 
Education  of  Children  —  Hygiene  of  Childhood  -  316 

CHAPTER  IX. 

DISEASES  OF  BABYHOOD  AND  CHILDHOOD. 

Disorders  of  Infancy  —  Congenital  Deformities  — 
Diarrhoea —  Cholera  Infantum  —  Hydrocephalus  — 
Convulsions  —  Croup  —  Diphtheria  —  Eruptive 
Fevers  —  St.  Vitus’  Dance  —  Sore  Eyes  —  Ear- 
Ache  and  Discharges  from  the  Ear  —  Infantile 
Leucorrhoea — Phimosis  and  Paraphimosis  —  Scald 
Head  —  Itch  —  Head  Lice  —  Worms  —  Weak 
Spines  and  Spinal  Deformities  -  325 

CHAPTER  X. 

DISEASES  OF  WOMEN. 

Diseases  of  the  Vulva  and  Vagina  —  Inflammation  of 
and  Ulceration  of  the  Womb  —  Leucorrhoea  —  Dis- 


CONTENTS. 


Xi 


placements  of  tire  Womb  —  Tumors  of  the  Womb 
—  Diseases  of  the  Ovaries  —  Cancer — Hysteria  - 

CHAPTER  XI. 

GENERAL  HYGIENE. 

Condition  of  Dwellings  —  Dress — Rest  and  Sleep  — 
Hygiene  of  the  Skin  —  Hygiene  of  the  Digestive 
Organs  —  Hygiene  of  the  Respiratory  Organs  — 
Hy  giene  of  the  Eye  —  Hygiene  of  the  Ear  —  Hy¬ 
giene  of  the  Generative  Organs  - 


PAGE. 

350 


363 

377 


Glossary 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


BEAUTY. 

Since  the  world  began  beauty  has  ruled,  and  yet 
who  can  tell  you  what  it  is?  As  “  one  star  dififereth  from 
another  star  in  glory,”  so  does  one  woman  differ  from 
another  in  beauty.  One  competent  judge  will  tell  you 
golden  hair  and  blue  eyes  constitute  beauty;  another 
whose  judgment  is  equally  good  insists  there  can  be  no 
beauty  .  without  black  hair  and  sparkling  dark  eyes. 
Beauty,  from  this  standpoint,  being  only  a  matter  of 
individual  taste  and  opinion,  the  question  is  left  open  for 
every  woman  to  establish  a  criterion  for  herself ;  for 
beauty  is  charming,  exquisite  individuality.  Regular 
features,  light  hair,  dark  hair,  brown  eyes  or  blue,  are 
only  a  small  portion  of  beauty.  A  pretty  face,  without 
its  little  details  of  dress  and  personal  care,  is  forgotten  as 
soon  as  looked  at.  On  the  other  hand,  a  woman  with 
positively  homely  features,  who  understands  detail  of 
dress,  the  secrets  of  a  fine  complexion,  sparkling  eyes, 
beautiful  form,  and  who  has  made  human  nature  enough 
of  a  study  to  know  just  when  to  say  the  right  thing  in  the 
right  place,  will  be  considered  the  beautiful  woman,  where 
perfect  features  will  pass  unnoticed. 

What  are  the  secrets  of  a  fine  complexion,  sparkling 
eyes,  beautiful  form,  etc.?  Physicians,  realizing  the 


* 


13 


14 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


interest,  and  trying  to  meet  the  demand  for  information, 
on  this  subject,  have  written  page  after  page,  and  book 
after  book  has  been  published.  The  purchaser,  beguiled 
by  the  catchy  title,  finds,  after  hours  of  patient  reading, 
that  there  is  nothing  more  profound  than  the  mysteries  of 
the  human  system,  unless  it  be  “  personal  beauty,”  as  set 
forth  by  these  writers.  To  understand  the  technical 
terms,  the  “  whys  and  the  wherefores,”  would  need  a 
thorough  medical  course  to  carry  out  the  suggestions, 
would  need  more  than  the  threescore  years  and  ten,  in 
which  we  are  supposed  to  finish  the  duties  of  this  mortal 
life. 

With  all  due  respect  to  the  learned  writers,  “  Profes¬ 
sor  ”  this,  and  “  Dr.”  that,  personal  beauty  can  be  de¬ 
veloped  without  studying  “Hygiene”  or  “Anatomy.” 
Beauty,  summed  up  into  a  fine  complexion,  bright,  spark¬ 
ling  eyes,  a  straight,  lithe  figure,  and  shining  hair,  is  within 
every  woman’s  power  to  reach,  and  means  simply  bathing, 
fresh  air  and  exercise. 

A  BEAUTIFUL  COMPLEXION. 

There  is  nothing  attracts  the  eye  sooner  than  a  clean, 
beautiful  complexion.  There  are  numerous  causes  for 
a  bad  complexion.  It  is  generally  the  result  of  not 
bathing  regularly  and  often ,  an  indoor  life,  sleeping  in 
badly  ventilated  rooms,  a  fretful,  irritable  disposition,  an 
inactive  liver,  hard  water  and  impure  soaps.  Cleanli¬ 
ness  being  the  foundation  of  health  and  beauty,  the  ques¬ 
tion  of  bathing  should  be  the  first  considered.  Bathing  is 
a  much  discussed  question.  Of  course,  in  this  enlightened 
day,  everybody  is  supposed  to  bathe  properly, but  there 
are  so  many  different  opinions  as  to  what  is  proper.  The 


LILA  CAVANAUGH 


ALKALINE  BATH.  —  AN  OILY  SKIN. 


19 


ALKALINE  BATH. 

This  is  only  good  to  use  occasionally  if  troubled  with 
an  oily  skin.  It  is  also  cooling  and  refreshing  in  cases  of 
fever. 

6  oz.  Carbonate  of  Soda  (Crystal). 

1  oz.  Borax. 

Dissolve  in  one  quart  of  water,  and  add  to  an 
ordinary  bath. 

The  sea  salt  that  is  kept  by  all  druggists  makes  an 
excellent  bath,  and  is  very  strengthening. 

A  fine  substitute  for  an  ocean  bath  is  made  from  the 
following: 

2  lb.  Muriate  of  Soda. 

1  lb.  Sulphate  of  Soda. 

Yt.  lb.  Chloride  of  Lime. 

y2  lb.  Chloride  of  Magnesia. 

Dissolve  in  two  quarts  of  warm  water,  and  add  to  the 
ordinary  bath. 

AN  OILY  SKIN. 

Ladies  troubled  with. an  oily  skin  may  bathe  the  face 
with  this  lotion  with  benefit: 

A  oz.  Pulv.  Borax. 

1  oz.  Glycerine. 

1  quart  Camphor  Water. 

It  is  healing,  whitening  and  beneficial. 

A  few  drops  of  ammonia  added  to  the  bath  stimu¬ 
lates  and  cleanses  the  skin.  It  is  particularly  valuable  in 
removing  odor  from  those  who  perspire  freely.  It  should 
be  used  with  care,  however.  If  used  too  freely  it  stimu¬ 
lates  the  hair  capsules,  and  will  start  the  fine  hair  growing 
on  the  arms,  face  and  neck,  which  is  anything  but  desir¬ 
able. 


20 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


“  BLACKHEADS.” 

Blackheads  or  comedones  are  formed  by  the  oil  in 
the  perspiratory  glands  becoming  hard  and  too  dense  to 
escape  in  the  usual  manner,  and  is  generally  the  result  of 
not  bathing  properly  (not  using  hot  water  and  soap  on 
the  face).  The  dust  and  dirt  mingling  with  the  oil  at  the 
aperture  or  “  pore  ”  form  the  blackheads,  and  they  can 
only  be  removed  by  pressure.  Washing  the  face  with 
hot  water  and  soap  and  water  in  which  is  a  very  little  car¬ 
bolic  acid  is  efficacious  in  causing  them  to  disappear.  In 
using  carbolic  acid  use  warm  water,  and  only  a  few  drops 
of  the  acid,  but  have  it  strong  enough  to  slightly  smart 
the  face,  or  that  part  of  the  face  affected  by  the  black¬ 
heads.  It  stimulates  the  skin  or  glands  into  activity,  and 
allows  the  oil  to  escape  in  the  natural  manner. 

COLD  CREAMS. 

Every  lady  should  have  among  her  toilet  articles 
good  “  cold  cream.”  If  made  with  the  proper  ingredients, 
it  is  indispensable  in  cases  of  pimples,  chapping  or  any 
roughness  of  the  skin. 

Thousands  of  dollars  are  expended  in  advertising  the 
innumerable  creams  in  the  market,  and,  when  you  ask  a 
druggist  which  is  preferable,  he  invariably  sets  forth  his 
own  special  make.  The  truth  of  the  matter  is,  they  are 
all  very  much  alike.  If  one  is  better  than  the  other,  the 
preference  should  be  given  to  the  one  not  advertised  ex¬ 
tensively.  To  pay  for  advertising,  the  profits  must  neces¬ 
sarily  be  large,  and  consequently  the  quality  of  ingredients 
inferior.  Nearly  all  creams  sold  in  stores  become  rancid , 
and  in  this  state  are  irritating  to  the  skin  instead  of  sooth¬ 
ing.  It  is  better  to  make  your  own  creams.  It  can  be 
done  with  very  little  trouble  and  at  small  expense. 


WRINKLES. 


25 


ion  and  skin  of  a  girl  of  eighteen.  It  may  not  be  a  pleas¬ 
ant  thing  to  contemplate,  but  it  prevents  and  removes 
wrinkles  as  nothing  else  will.  Other  ladies  noted  for  their 
fine  complexions,  sleep  in  masks  made  of  rubber  or  silk. 
It  is  a  question  whether  excluding  the  air  from  the  face  may 
not  be  injurious  eventually,  but  the  perspiration  caused 
by  the  use  of  the  mask  keeps  the  face  white  and  delicate 
looking.  The  mask  should  have  a  thin  layer  of  cold  cream 
on  its  inner  surface,  or  the  face  should  be  thoroughly 
anointed  with  oil  or  cream  before  adjusting  the  mask. 
An  excellent  remedy  for  preserving  the  skin  fair  and  ward¬ 
ing  off  wrinkles  is  a  paste  made  from  the  following: 

4  Eggs  (the  Whites  of). 

]/z  pt.  Rosewater. 

y  oz.  Alum. 

%  oz.  Oil  of  Sweet  Almonds. 

Almond  Meal  or  Oatmeal  enough  to  fonn  paste. 

Beat  the  eggs,  rosewater,  alum  and  almond  oil 
together,  and  add  the  almond  meal  or  oatmeal  until  a 
paste  is  formed  thick  enough  to  spread  over  mask.  This 
will  give  firmness  to  the  flesh,  as  well  as  make  the  skin 
fair  and  smooth. 

A  good  remedy  for  cleaning  out  the  complexion  and 
making  the  skin  fair,  is  to  take  a  teaspoonful  of  charcoal 
in  water  or  milk,  every  morning  before  breakfast,  for  ten 
days.  Half  an  hour  after  eating,  three  times  a  day,  take 
a  wine-glass  full  of  dandelion  tea,  in  which  is  a  little  extract 
of  mandrake.  There  is  nothing  better  than  charcoal  for 
removing  organic  impurities  from  the  stomach,  but  it  never 
should  be  taken  unless  followed  with  some  kind  of  a  mild 
cathartic  afterward,  as  it  is  constipating. 

A  great  many  girls  and  women  resort  to  the  arsenic 
pills  advertised  to  beautify  the  complexion.  Without 


26 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


doubt  they  are  efficacious  in  filling  out  the  tissues  and 
making  the  skin  perfect  and  fair.  In  some  cases  they  are 
beneficial,  particularly  when  the  system  is  malarious;  but, 
if  the  pills  contain  enough  arsenic  to  produce  any  change 
whatever,  after  a  time  they  would  become  injurious,  and 
should  be  taken  only  under  the  advice  of  a  physician. 

A  fine  preparation  for  bringing  the  blood  to  the  exter¬ 
nal  fibers  of  the  skin,  and  roses  to  cheeks  and  lips,  is  made 
from  this  recipe: 

3  oz.  Rosewater. 

1  teaspoonful  Tincture  of  Benzoin. 

It  is  also  unsurpassed  as  a  remedy  to  remove  tan  and 
sunburn  by  sponging  off  the  face  with  it  after  exposure, 
and  before  using  any  water. 

Lemon  juice  diluted  with  water  is  always  very  satis¬ 
factory  in  removing  tan. 

Muriatic  acid  is  also  good  for  whitening  the  skin.  In 
using  it,  care  should  be  taken.  Add  only  a  few  drops  to 
the  bath  water. 

Another  lotion  for  removing  tan  or  sunburn  is  this: 

io  grains  Borax. 

2  oz.  Limewater. 

i  oz.  Finest  French  Oil  of  Jasmine. 

1  oz.  Oil  of  Sweet  Almond. 

If  the  face  has  become  sore,  or  is  peeling  off  after 
using  this  lotion,  use  every  morning,  after  washing,  a  prep¬ 
aration  made  from  the  following: 

2  drachms  Cloride  of  Ammonia. 

I  oz.  Spirits  of  Wine. 

io  drops  Attar  of  Roses. 

I  pt.  Rosewater. 

i  oz.  Venetian  Talc  (fine  powder). 

Dissolve  the  cloride  in  the  rosewater,  and  the  attar  in 
the  spirit.  Mix  the  two  solutions  and  add  the  talc. 


ELLEN  TERRY. 


W  RINKLES.  —  PIMPLES. 


27 


For  those  having  tendency  to  very  red  faces,  it  is 
better  to  avoid  eating  anything  that  will  heat  the  blood, 
particularly  during  the  summer  months.  Eat  fruits,  salads, 
fresh  new  vegetables  and  light  meats,  such  as  fish  or 
poultry. 

If  the  complexion  naturally  inclines  to  sallowness, 
nothing  will  cure  it  quicker  than  exercise  in  the  open  air, 
eating  coarse  bread,  and  hunting  for  the  sunny  spots. 

If  the  skin  is  coarse,  the  coarse  bread,  oatmeal,  with 
plenty  of  bathing  and  frequent  changes  of  underclothing 
—  those  that  come  next  the  skin  —  will  produce  a  wonder¬ 
ful  effect  in  a  short  time.  If  the  face  is  rough,  bathing, 
and  the  applications  of  cold  cream  will  smooth  out  the 

roughest  skin. 

1  pi.  White  Brandy, 

'/l  pt.  Rosewater, 

makes  an  excellent  wash  for  removing  roughness  of  the 
skin.  It  should  be  used  to  sponge  off  the  face  night  and 
morning.  The  brandy  keeps  up  a  circulation,  and  the 
rosewater  counteracts  the  effect  of  the  skin  becoming  too 
dry  in  using  the  brandy. 

PIMPLES. 

Any  of  the  recipes  given  for  cold  cream  will  cure 
severe  cases  of  pimples,  if  they  are  of  the  common  red 
order.  If  they  are  inclined  to  be  sore,  and  come  from 
impurities  of  the  blood,  a  cream  made  from  the  following 
will  be  found  to  be  very  drying  and  healing: 

1  oz.  White  Wax, 

1  oz.  Spermaceti, 

2  oz.  Almond  Oil, 

I  oz.  Benzoated  Lard, 

I  oz.  Oxide  of  Zinc, 

melted  and  beaten  to  a  cream.  Use  it  on  the  face,  and  at 


28 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


the  time  remove  the  cause  by  taking  some  simple  remedy 
for  purifying  the  blood. 

FRECKLES. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  freckles,  sun  freckles  and  liver 
freckles.  When  caused  by  exposure  to  the  sun,  they  are 
just  under  the  epidermis,  or  scarf  skin,  and  can  be  removed 
by  external  applications.  Lemon  juice,  diluted  with  water, 
proves  efficacious  sometimes,  and  any  application  that  will 
rough  up  the  skin  sufficiently  to  remove  the  scarf  skin, 
removes  the  freckles  with  it,  though  this  process  is  more 
or  less  disagreeable.  Several  years  ago  there  was  a  sen¬ 
sational  lawsuit  in  England  over  a  cosmetic.  Three  peo¬ 
ple,  each  claiming  to  be  the  the  inventor  of  a  popular  tonic 
for“making  complexions  beautiful,”  called  upon  judge  and 
jury  to  decide  the  matter.  During  the  progress  of  the 
trial  the  formula  was  given,  which  was  as  follows. 

i  y2  oz.  Bitter  Almonds. 

15  grains  Corrosive  Sublimate. 

1  qt.  water. 

This  preparation,  while  it  contains  deadly  poison,  does 
nothing  more  or  less  than  burn  off  the  upper  skin,  or 
scarf  skin,  and  of  course  removes  all  blemishes  with  it. 

One  of  the  most  popular  moth  and  freckle  lotions 
—  or  the  most  advertised  —  of  the  present  day,  is  made 
from  alcohol,  corrosive  sublimate  and  acetic  acid.  It 
sounds  as  if  the  parties  advertising  such  a  remedy  should 
spend  the  rest  of  their  days  behind  the  bars,  but,  as  fortunes 
have  been  made  with  it,  and  people  still  continue  to  pur¬ 
chase  “  bleaches,”  it  must  be  the  results  are,  in  some  cases, 
satisfactory.  For  those  whose  ambitions  tempt  them 
to  “  rush  in  where  angels  fear  to  tread,”  I  will  give  a 


HAIR. 


35 


There  are  many  simple  remedies  that  will  lighten  the 
hair  several  shades,  such  as  exposing  the  hair  to  the  sun, 
washing  it  frequently  with  soda,  borax,  ammonia,  salts  of 
tartar,  or  common  bar  soap. 

One  of  the  finest  hair  tonics,  if  not  the  best  one 
known,  is  this: 

i  pt.  High  Wine. 

I  pt.  Water. 

i  oz.  Bear’s  Oil. 

By  applying  it  to  the  scalp,  it  not  only  stops  the  hair 
falling  out,  almost  at  the  first  application,  but  it  will  restore 
gray  hair  to  its  natural  color,  and  cause  the  hair  to  thicken. 

High  wine  is  alcohol  before  it  is  distilled.  Do  not 
allow  a  druggist  to  give  you  poor  whisky  for  high  wine, 
as  a  great  many  will  do.  High  wine  can  only  be  found 
at  a  distillery,  and  cannot  be  bought ,  as  it  is  not  stamped. 
Sometimes  a  distiller,  out  of  the  kindness  of  his  heart, 
will  give  it  to  you.  A  gentleman  of  my  acquaintance, 
nearly  sixty-five,  tells  me  he  was  quite  bald  at  forty,  and 
what  hair  he  had  was  gray  and  lifeless.  He  commenced 
using  this  tonic,  and  has  used  it,  more  or  less,  from  that 
time  to  this,  and  his  hair  is  so  luxuriant  that  some  mem¬ 
bers  of  his  own  family  accuse  him  of  coloring  it. 

Another  hair  stimulant  is  made  from  this  recipe: 

i  pt.  Bay  Rum. 

I  drachm  Tincture  Cantharides. 

I  oz.  Castor  Oil. 

i  drachm  Carbonate  Ammonia. 

Mix  well,  and  rub  into  the  roots  two  or  three  times  every 
week,  until  the  hair  ceases  to  fall. 

There  is  nothing  more  beautiful,  no  more  refining  to 
the  face,  than  gray  hair.  A  woman  might  be  common- 


36 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


place  in  appearance  naturally.  Let  her  hair  turn  to  a  pure 
gray,  or  white,  and  she  at  once  becomes  elegant  and  dis¬ 
tinguished.  And  yet  there  are  many  that  abhor  the 
thought  of  “  getting  gray.”  It  is  better  to  color  the  hair 
with  some  harmless  coloring  matter,  than  it  is  to  suffocate 
the  scalp  by  wearing  false  hair.  There  are  very  few  harm¬ 
less  hair  dyes,  if  any.  Probably  the  following  is  as  free 
from  harmful  ingredients  as  any  known: 


1  drachm  Sugar  of  Lead. 

2  drachms  Lac  Sulphur. 

3  oz.  Rosewater. 

Use  every  day  once  at  least,  until  the  hair  resumes  its 
natural  color,  after  that,  once  in  two  weeks. 

Another  simple  hair  dye  is  made  from  these  ingredi¬ 
ents: 

drachms  Nitrate  of  Silver. 
t,)4  drachms  Sulphur  Potassium. 

33^  drachms  Rosewater. 

2)4  drachms  Water. 

Be  very  careful,  when  applying  this  solution,  not  to  get  it 
on  the  scalp.  Apply  with  a  fine-tooth  comb. 

Honey  wash  is  a  popular  lotion  for  the  hair,  and  is 
made  from  the  following: 

1  drachm  Essence  of  Ambergris, 
x  drachm  Essence  of  Musk. 

2  drachms  Essence  of  Bergamot. 

15  drops  Oil  of  Cloves. 

4  oz.  Orange  Flower  Water. 

5  oz.  Spirits  of  Wine. 

'  4  oz.  Distilled  Water. 

Brushing  the  hair  thoroughly  and  often  is  nature’s 
restorer.  It  is  positively  necessary,  otherwise  all  washes, 
tonics  or  stimulants,  will  prove  a  dismal  failure. 


— 


*  m. 


■ 


•  : 


MISS  VAN  AUSTIN. 


DRESS  AND  COLOR. 


49 


artist.  To  be  dressed  in  perfect  taste,  a  lady  should  have 
the  same  “tone”  predominate  from  head  to  foot.  The 
fault  of  a  picture  is  the  atmosphere  the  artist  has  thrown 
into  it.  He  could  not  have  a  cool,  gray  morning  tint  in 
one  part  of  the  picture  and  the  colors  of  a  warm  sunset  in 
another  part.  The  same  tone  of  color  must  pervade  the 
entire  canvas,  or  it  will  be  a  failure.  And  it  should  be 
the  same  in  a  lady’s  street  costume.  Individual  tastes  and 
fancies  may  be  petted  in  house  dresses,  but  on  the  street, 
hat,  dress  and  gloves  should  be  the  same  color,  regardless 
of  passing  fashions.  Colors,  unless  studied  carefully,  are 
disastrous  in  effect.  Tints  should  be  avoided,  unless  the 
wearer  possesses  high  color.  Black,  white  and  rich  dark 
colors  are  becoming  to  all  complexions.  One  is  always 
well  dressed  in  black,  and  every  lady  should  have  a  plain 
black  silk  in  her  wardrobe.  It  is  suitable  for  “  mill  and 
meeting.”  To  be  particularly  well  dressed  it  is  better  to 
have  two,  one  for  “  mill,”  and  another  for  “  meeting.” 
White  is  generally  becoming.  Care  should  be  taken  in 
selecting  it,  however.  Never  wear  blue-white  near  the 
face.  A  yellow-ivhite  has  the  effect  of  making  the  face 
look  fair,  while  blue-white  will  give  it  a  decidedly  sallow 
appearance.  A  fleshy  person  should  avoid  all  light  colors, 
and  black  that  has  a  decided  luster,  such  as  black  satin;  it 
will  magnify  the  size,  while  black  without  much  luster 
will  make  one  look  a  third  smaller  in  comparison. 

It  is  every  woman’s  duty  to  have  bright,  beautiful 
house  dresses.  In  these  one’s  fancy  can  run  wild. 

As  long  as  the  costume  is  artistic,  beautiful  dresses 
for  one’s  home  should  be  the  study  of  every  mother,  wife 
or  sister.  In  house  dresses  there  is  great  opportunity  for 
artistic  dressing.  The  most  brilliant  colors  are  permissi- 

4 


50 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


ble  at  home,  and  drapery  that  would  be  decidedly  bizarre 
on  the  street,  is  elegant  and  graceful  in  the  parlor.  The 
consciousness  of  being  becomingly  and  artistically  dressed 
brightens  up  the  countenance  wonderfully.  Sometimes 
changing  from  common  apparel  to  a  beautiful  tea  gown 
will  cure  actual  indisposition.  I  fancy  I  see  an  incredu¬ 
lous  smile  —  but  a  lady  of  my  acquaintance  resorts  to  this 
as  a  never-failing  remedy.  Aside  from  all  this,  the  home 
pictures  should  be  made  the  strongest  influences  thrown 
around  husband,  brother  and  child.  The  memory  of  these 
bright  home  scenes  will  cheer  the  pathway  of  a  weary 
plodder  through  life. 

PERFUMES. 

To  use  powerful,  strong  perfumes  is  the  quintessence 
of  vulgarity  and  coarseness,  but  there  is  nothing  more 
fascinating,  refined  and  irresistible,  and  suggestive  of 
moonlight,  music,  love  and  flowers,”  than  a  sweet,  deli¬ 
cate,  faint  odor,  that  is  gone  almost  as  soon  as  it  is  noticed. 
Have  your  favorite  odor,  and  never  use  but  the  one. 
Purchase  the  finest  extract  of  some  flowers,  and  use  but  a 
small  quantity.  A  better  way  is  to  have  innumerable 
sachet  bags,  filled  with  cotton  and  perfume  powder,  and 
kept  in  the  dresser,  in  the  closets,  and  in  your  trunks.  An 
elegant  perfume  for  a  sachet  bag  is  made  from  the  follow¬ 
ing  ingredients: 

I  oz.  Heliotrope  Powder. 

20  grains  pure  Musk  (grain  musk). 

A  fine  perfume  is  made  by  mixing  Jockey  Club  and 
White  Rose  in  equal  parts,  and  adding  a  very  little  Musk 
(Lubin’s).  Use  Lubin’s  Jockey  Club  and  Wright’s  White 
Rose. 

A  dainty  handkerchief  is  an  indispensable  accessory 


ISABELLE  U RQUHART. 


DINING. 


By  Kinsley’s,  Chicago. 


This  is  a  wonderful  age  for  advising  and  correcting. 
If  people  go  wrong  in  these  days,  it  is  not  for  want  of  plenty 
of  counsel.  We  do  things  no  longer  by  the  card,  but  by 
the  book.  But  if  the  housewife,  filled  with  a  laudable 
desire  to  be  “  correct,”  should  consult  the  books  as  to  the 
proper  number  of  invitations  to  her  next  dinner,  for 
instance,  she  would  find  herself  involved  in  a  maze  of  con¬ 
tradictions. 

In  this  country  fourteen  seems  to  be  the  orthodox 
number.  It  may  be  stated,  however,  that  it  will  almost 
invariably  be  found  true  that  a  party  few  in  number  is 
more  pleasant  and  agreeable  than  a  large  one.  At  an 
afternoon  tea  eight  ladies  will  be.  found  more  congenial 
than  sixteen.  It  is,  of  course,  taken  for  granted  that 
quarrelsome  and  ill-natured  people  are  not  to  be  invited 
under  any  circumstances. 

Emerson  said  one  of  the  main  objects  of  all  the  dif¬ 
ferent  modes  of  civilization  is  to  bring  a  number  of  con¬ 
genial  and  agreeable  people  together  at  dinner,  but  he 
does  not  tell  us  how  to  dispose  of  the  other  variety,  the 
man  who  grumbles  through  a  dinner  in  a  state  of  chronic 
sulkiness,  or  the  woman  who  makes  uncomplimentary 
remarks  sotto  voce  to  the  right  and  left. 

Formal  dinner  invitations,  during  the  season,  should 


52 


DINING. 


53 


be  sent  out  from  ten  days  to  two  weeks  in  advance.  To 
send  them  out  three  or  four  weeks  in  advance  signifies  an 
excessive  formality,  which  should  be  scrupulously  avoided. 
Of  course,  in  the  great  social  centers,  necessity  compels 
the  issuance  of  invitations  long  before  the  event,  but 
there  is  no  occasion  for  it  in  most  American  cities. 

The  invitation  should  be  either  written  or  engraved. 
The  lady  who  is  a  frequent  dinner-giver  has  engraved 
invitation  cards  at  hand,  with  the  space  for  the  name  of 
the  guest  left  in  blank,  so  that  it  may  be  inserted  with 
pen  and  ink.  At  particularly  formal  affairs  the  name  of 
the  guest  is  engraved.  The  invitation  should  be  made 
in  the  name  of  both  host  and  hostess.  The  following  is 
the  usual  form: 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arthur  Johnstone 

request  the  pleasure  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Barnard’s  company  at  dinner,  on 
Thursday,  December  tenth,  at  seven  o’clock. 

The  answer  should  be  addressed  to  the  hostess  only. 
An  invitation  should  be  answered  as  soon  as  received. 
If  an  accident  prevents  the  attendance  of  a  guest  who 
has  already  signified  his  intention  of  being  present,  no 
time  should  be  lost  in  notifying  the  hostess,  that  she  may 
supply  the  vacancy.  No  gentleman  should  ever  be 
invited  without  his  wife  when  other  ladies  than  those  of 
the  family  are  expected. 

The  dinner  hour  should  not  be  earlier  than  six,  not 
later  than  eight.  Full  evening  costume  is  required. 

One  should  be  careful  to  not  invite  those,  whatever 
the  party  numbers,  who  are  known  not  to  be  on  good 
terms  with  each  other.  History  shows  that  a  Dr.  John¬ 
son  and  a  Wilkes  are  not  a  joint  dinner  party  success. 
Get  “  talking  men.”  Too  much  talk  is  better  than  not 


dining-room 


DINING. 


5  7 


Chateau  d’Issan,  Margaux,  Ferriere,  St.  Julien.  The 
wine  of  first  quality,  when  mature,  ought  to  have  a  beau¬ 
tiful  color,  much  firmness,  a  very  agreeable  bouquet,  and  a 
flavor  which  embalms  the  mouth,  strength  without  being 
intoxicating,  and  body  without  harshness.  The  Burgun¬ 
dies,  contrary  to  the  generality  of  French  wines,  are  im¬ 
proved  by  a  sea  voyage. 

With  the  roast  serve  a  claret,  Burgundy  or  Cham¬ 
pagne.  These  wines  may  also  be  served  with  game, 
Claret  preferable.  Champagne,  unlike  Burgundy  or 
Claret,  is  a  wine  always  improved  by  ice.  The  chiqf  char¬ 
acteristic  is  its  exquisite  delicacy  of  flavor.  There  is  no 
difficulty  in  securing  a  fairly  good  Champagne.  In  this 
country  one  can  choose  from  four  or  five  popular  brands, 
any  of  which  are  good.  It  should  always  be  served  very 
cold;  never  higher  than  forty  degrees.  Ice  must  never  be 
put  in  the  wine,  but  packed  around  the  bottle.  Cham¬ 
pagne  f rappee  is  exquisite  and  refreshing.  This  is  made 
by  freezing  the  wine  in  the  bottle  with  ice  and  salt  packed 
around  it  until  it  has  the  consistency  of  snow.  Some  sort 
of  punch  may  be  served  after  the  roast,  such  as  Victoria, 
Cardinal,  Kirsch  or  Roman.  With  the  entrees  come 
Champagne,  Claret  or  Burgundy. 

Serve  a  Champagne  with  the  salad.  Wine  is  not 
essential  with  the  dessert,  though  perhaps  a  good  Hunga¬ 
rian  might  be  given.  The  Tokay  is  exquisite.  In  h ranee 
Malmsey  and  Malaga  wines  are  offered  usually,  and  in 
England  the  white  and  red  Constantia  and  Frontignan 
are  frequently  produced. 

Before  the  fruits,  nuts  and  raisins  are  brought  on, 
small  cups  for  coffee  should  be  passed. 

While  not  under  the  head  of  wines,  a  slight  digression 


58 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


may  be  pardoned  for  a  word  about  coffee.  For  three  cen¬ 
turies  a  more  delightful,  innoxious,  or  exhilarating  bev¬ 
erage  has  not  been  brought  to  light.  In  extreme  heat  or 
cold,  no  drink  for  steady  use  compares  with  it.  But  it  is 
not  justly  appreciated,  and  for  good  reason  —  nine  cases 
in  ten  it  is  improperly  made.  The  Turks,  who  easily  bear 
the  palm  as  coffee-makers,  do  not  grind  the  berry  in  a 
mill;  they  pound  it  to  a  powder  in  mortars.  Housewives 
or  careless  servants  are  prone  to  either  grind  the  coffee 
too  coarsely,  or,  worse  still,  buy  it  ready  ground,  in  which 
case  t^e  aroma  is  likely  to  have  totally  evaporated.  The 
fact  is,  the  finer  coffee  is  ground  the  better  it  is,  and  it 
ought  to  be  ground  immediately  before  use.  Then,  the 
berry  should  be  roasted,  not  burnt.  If  you  want  perfect 
coffee,  remove  the  berry  from  the  fire  the  moment  it 
crackles,  and  wrap  it  in  several  folds  of  flannel  to  cool. 
This  preserves  the  essential  oil.  When  it  is  cool,  place  it 
in  an  air-tight  canister.  Sufficient  for  the  day  should  be 
the  coffee  thereof.  In  France  they  usually  make  coffee 
a  Dubelloy ,  which  consists  in  pouring  boiling  water  on 
coffee  placed  in  a  porcelain  or  silver  vase  pierced  with 
small  holes.  This  is  poured  off,  heated  to  boiling  point, 
and  passed  through  again.  The  result  is  coffee  as  clear 
and  exquisite  as  any  one  could  wish  for.  A  full-sized 
teaspoonful  of  coffee  should  be  allowed  for  each  guest  in 
making  the  small  after-dinner  cup  of  coffee. 

With  the  fruits  many  families  introduce  some  old 
Madeira,  but  it  is  not  an  essential.  After  which,  the  cof¬ 
fee,  very  hot.  Any  liqueurs  may  be  served,  according  to 
one’s  judgment. 

It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  there  is  no 
alcoholic  neutralizer  more  potent  than  coffee. 


DINING. 


61 


BREAKFAST,  LUNCHEON,  TEA  AND  FAMILY  DINNERS. 

Air  your  dining-rooms.  The  girl  should  be  in¬ 
structed  to  open  the  windows  and  close  the  doors  of  the 
dining-room  the  first  thing  in  the  morning.  Five  min- 
utes’  contact  with  the  sweet  morning  air  will  effectually 
dissipate  all  disagreeable  odors  caused  by  the  closing  of 
the  room  during  the  night. 

The  breakfast  table  may  be  covered  with  a  white 
cloth  or  a  colored  one.  The  latter  may  be  any  one  of  a 
hundred  varieties.  But  the  dinner  table-cloth  must  always 
be  white.  For  breakfast,  dainty  colored  doilies  are  pref¬ 
erable,  as  well  as  at  luncheon  or  tea.  The  only  napkin 
allowed  by  fashion  for  the  more  formal  dinner,  however, 
is  the  large  damask,  hemmed.  For  the  lighter  meals, 
bright  touches  of  color  are  to  be  desired.  For  luncheon, 
it  is  not  essential  that  any  table-cloth  be  used,  particularly 
if  you  have  for  a  dining  table  one  with  a  hard  polished 
top.  Large  fringed  napkins  may  be  spread  at  each 
plate. 

The  dining-room  should  always  be  curtained  with 
some  such  material  as  Swiss  muslin  or  the  more  expensive 
China  silk.  The  light  should  never  be  brilliant,  but  sub¬ 
dued.  If  the  scene  from  the  dining-room  windows  is  a 
disagreeable  one,  care  should  be  taken  to  always  draw 
the  curtains  at  meal-time. 

There  is  much  discussion  as  to  the  changing  of  nap¬ 
kins.  Some  decry  napkin-rings,  because  it  is  proper, 
they  say,  that  a  clean  napkin  be  served  to  each  person 
at  every  meal.  For  any  family,  however  well  to  do,  this 
is  an  entirely  unnecessary  expense.  To  say  nothing  of 
the  fearful  laundry  bills  this  entails  and  the  number  of 
napkins  necessary  to  keep  in  stock,  the  extra  trouble  is 


62 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


too  burdensome  not  to  be  avoided  if  possible.  Besides, 
it  does  not  pay  to  laundry  good  napkins  so  frequently. 
To  change  napkins  once  a  day  is  amply  often.  Sparing 
accidents,  a  napkin  may  be  used  two  or  three  times  with¬ 
out  becoming  noticeably  soiled.  However,  the  matter  is 
purely  discretionary. 

Always  try  to  have  flowers  on  the  table.  Even  a 
little  bunch  of  nosegays  or  daisies  will  brighten  things 
wonderfully.  For  dinner  they  are  almost  a  necessity, 
created  by  fashion,  and  there  are  still  better  reasons  for 
the  morning  meal.  Most  people  come  to  the  breakfast 
table  with  listlessness  and  jaded  appetites.  They  wouldn’t 
be  so  if  they  had  gotten  up  an  hour  or  two  before  and 
taken  a  brisk  two-mile  walk,  but  they  haven’t.  So  the 
dining-room,  the  breakfast  table  and  its  appurtenances 
cannot  look  too  inviting. 

A  butter  plate,  goblet  or  tumbler  and  a  salt-cellar 
should  be  at  each  plate.  If  individual  salt-cellars  are  not 
used,  a  cruet  or  the  modern  “  shaker  ”  should  be  placed 
at  each  corner  of  the  table.  The  big,  ungainly  caster  in 
the  center  of  the  table  is  out  of  date.  Do  not  place  the 
tumblers  bottom  end  up.  It  is  an  obsolete  custom,  and 
one  which  never  had  a  foundation  in  reason.  If  it  was 
done  to  avoid  the  accumulation  of  dust,  the  same  would 
apply  with  equal  force  to  everything  on  the  table. 

The  knife  should  be  placed  at  the  right  of  each  plate, 
with  the  edge  laid  toward  it — the  fork  on  the  left  side. 
The  napkin  is  placed  on  the  left. 

The  tea  tray  is  set  in  front  of  the  mistress.  The 
butter,  ice  and  cream  should  already  be  on  the  table. 
The  same  arrangement  answers  for  the  lunch  and  tea 


CARVING. 


67 


There  are  no  serious  difficulties  in  learning  how  to 
carve,  and,  with  a  little  study  and  patience,  any  one  may 
quickly  learn  to  perform  the  task  with  sufficient  skill  to  at 
least  avoid  remark,  and  every  head  of  a  household  oueht 
to  make  it  a  study.  It  is  not  an  easy  matter  to  prepare  a 
good  dinner,  but  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  spoil  the  effect  by 
negligent  carving. 

All  exertion  is  in  very  bad  taste.  It  either  indicates 
your  lack  of  dexterity  as  a  carver,  or  toughness  of  the 
roast,  or  age  of  the  fowl.  It  is  not  difficult  to  carve  fowls, 
and  in  roasts,  loins,  breasts,  forequarters,  etc.,  the  butcher 
should  always  separate  the  joints. 

The  platter  should  be  placed  so  that  the  carver  has 
full  control  of  it,  and  thus  avoid  ungracefulness.  Use  a 
keen,  sharp  knife. 

In  carving  a  turkey,  place  the  head  to  the  right,  cut 
off  the  drumstick,  sidebone,  next  the  wing,  then  the  sec¬ 
ond  joint,  and  slice  down  the  breast  until  a  rounded  white 
piece  appears,  which  you  can  separate  from  the  bone  by 
sticking  the  blade  between.  This  is  one  of  the  best  parts 
of  the  fowl.  Then  turn  the  bird  the  other  way  —  the 
fork  need  not  be  removed  from  the  breast  bone  during  the 
entire  operation  —  and  perform  the  same  operation  on  the 
other  side. 

Serve  each  person  with  a  piece  of  the  dark  and  a  slice 
of  the  white  meat. 

A  capon,  partridge  or  large  chicken  may  be  carved 
the  same  way. 

Small  chickens  are  usually  served  in  halves,  either 
cut  straight  down  the  breast  bone  or  crosswise. 

As  a  rule,  only  the  breast  of  the  partridge  is  eaten, 
the  legs  being  too  bitter.  Stick  the  fork  straight  in  the 


68 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


breast  bone,  cut  a  slice  from  the  outside  breast,  then  cut 
close  along  the  breast  bone  and  around  the  wing,  pushing 
all  the  meat  from  off  both  breasts.  The  grouse  may  be 
usually  carved  in  the  same  way.  Generally,  however, 
birds  and  small  fowl  are  served  simply  in  halves. 

Only  the  breast  of  the  canvas  back  duck  is  eaten. 
Stick  the  fork  straight  and  firmly  into  the  middle  of  the 
breast  bone.  Then  carefully  cut  off  the  meat  from  the 
breast,  either  in  one  or  two  thick  slices,  or  thinner. 
Other  kinds  of  ducks,  such  as  redhead  and  mallard,  are 
carved  the  same  way.  Small  birds,  squab,  snipe,  plover, 
woodcock,  etc.,  are  usually  served  whole.  No  carving  is 
necessary. 

Roast  Beef. —  When  the  rib-beef  is  well  roasted  take 
it  from  the  oven  and  put  in  on  a  hot  dish  with  the  rib 
bones  downward.  Cut  off  just  a  little  of  the  crust  from 
the  top.  Stick  in  the  fork  slantingly  near  the  edge,  and 
hold  it  firmly  with  the  left  hand,  while  with  the  right  evenly 
cut  small  slices,  one  third  of  an  inch  thick,  down  to  the 
rib  bones.  Then  cut  underneath  to  separate  the  slices, 
and  serve. 

A  saddle  of  mutton,  lamb,  or  venison  should  be  first 
carved  lengthwise,  then,  crosswise  down.  Be  careful  to 
stick  the  fork  firmly  in  the  saddle,  and  use  a  very  sharp 
knife.  Keep  close  to  the  bone,  and  when  the  piece  is 
detached,  cut  crosswise  into  small  pieces  half  an  inch  or 
more  thick. 

In  carving  roasted  leg  of  mutton,  begin  with  small, 
thin,  even  slices  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick  diago¬ 
nally  down  to  the  bone.  Continue  this  until  you  come  to 
the  end  bone,  then  cut  lengthwise  underneath  to  the  end. 
The  meat  is  much  thinner  on  the  under  side.  Carve  here 


BREAKFAST. 


79 


brought  to  the  table  thoroughly  hot.  Serve  Romanee 
Conti.  On  each  salad  plate  put  a  lettuce  leaf,  and  on  it 
an  artichoke  heart  dipped  in  French  dressing  and  filled 
with  celery  mayonnaise.  Serve  very  cold. 

After  this  remove  everything  from  the  table  except 
the  flowers,  bon-bons,  etc.,  and  serve  the  plum  pudding. 
Pour  brandy  around  the  pudding  on  the  platter,  spread 
powdered  sugar  on  top,  set  fire  to  the  brandy,  and,  with 
a  spoon,  keep  pouring  it  over  the  top  until  it  ceases  to 
burn.  Cut  in  slices  and  serve,  putting  some  of  the  liquid 
on  each  plate. 

Ice-cream,  “  noisette  panachee,”  should  be  served, 
with  ice-cream  forks,  after  the  pudding.  Small  assorted 
cakes  should  be  passed  at  the  same  time. 

Then  remove  the  plates,  and  place  before  each  guest 
a  dessert  plate  for  fruit,  crackers  or  cheese.  Old  port  is 
served  in  small  glasses  at  the  same  time.  While  the 
finger-bowls — with  a  little  peppermint  water,  or  water 
with  a  geranium  leaf  in  it  —  are  being  used,  place  on  the 
table  small  cups  for  coffee,  which  should  be  served  very* 
hot.  Cognac  and  liqueurs  complete  the  dinner. 

BREAKFAST. 

Prepared  by  Kinsley' s. 

MENU. 

Melon. 

Frogs  au  Beurre.  Cucumbers. 

Lamb  Chops  Broiled.  Pomme  Sara. 

Coffee.  '  Eggs  en  Bechamel.  Rolls. 

Frogs  au  Beurre.—  Cleanse  the  frogs’  legs  in  cold 
water,  then  in  fresh  water  with  a  little  salt  and  lemon 
juice,  wipe  dry,  roll  in  flour,  put  them  in  a  frying-pan  in 
melted  butter,  and  cover  the  pan.  Let  them  cook  for  five 
minutes  till  they  are  nicely  browned  on  both  sides. 


8o 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


Cucumbers. — Peel  them  deep,  and  slice  them  carefully. 
Half  an  hour  before  using  them  put  some  vinegar  and  salt 
on  them.  Stir  them  well,  and  keep  them  in  a  cool  place. 
Just  before  using  them  press  out  all  the  vinegar  and  water, 
add’a  little  fresh  vinegar  and  salt  if  needed,  and  dress  them 
with  oil  and  pepper.  They  should  be  well  stirred  and 
served  very  cold;  dress  with  vinegar. 

Lamb  Chops,  Broiled.  —  Cut  the  chops  from  the  loin  of 
lamb  through  the  kidney,  broil,  and  baste  with  butter  and 
salt. 

Pomme  Sara. — A  potato,  cut  with  a  peculiar  knife 
used  for  the  purpose;  can  be  fried  or  boiled. 

Eggs  en  Bechamel. —  Poach  the  required  number  of 
■eggs,  and  serve  in  a  deep  dish  in  Bechamel  sauce.  Garnish 
with  cress. 

Bechamel  Sauce. —  Melt  an  ounce  of  butter  in  a  sauce¬ 
pan,  add  an  ounce  of  flour,  and  mix  well  together,  add  an 
onion  cut  in  slices,  half  an  ounce  of  lean  raw  ham,  and  a 
small  portion  of  salt  and  pepper.  When  beginning  to 
color,  slightly  moisten  with  a  pint  of  milk,  and  stir  well 
until  boiling,  after  which  let  boil  ten  minutes  longer. 
Strain  and  serve. 

CHOICE  RECIPES. 

Furnished  by  Kinsley's. 

Menu. 

Cream  of  Celery. 

Boiled  Sea  Bass.  Drawn  Butter.* 

Potatoes  a  la  Duchesse. 

Roast  Leg  of  Mutton.  Currant  Jelly. 

White  Turnips. 

Mashed  Potatoes  Browned. 

Bird’s  Nest  Pudding. 

Soup. —  Select  a  dozen  nice  fresh  celery,  pick  out  the 
choicest  part  for  your  table,  the  larger  outside  pieces  and 


hall 


CHOICE  RECIPES.  83 

and  toss  until  brown,  and  add  the  chopped  parsley  before 
serving. 

CHOICE  RECIPES. 

Furnished  by  Kinsley's. 

Puree  of  Green  Peas. 

Baked  Red  Snapper.  Tomato  Sauce.  Cucumbers. 

Roast  Quail  Stuffed. 

String  Beans.  Mashed  Potatoes. 

Rice  Pudding.  » 

Coffee. 

Puree  of  Green  Peas. —  Obtain  two  cans  of  American 
peas,  and,  after  straining,  put  them  in  a  saucepan,  adding 
a  slice  of  raw  ham,  an  onion  stuck  with  a  few  cloves,  cover 
with  a  gallon  of  good  beef  broth,  and  let  boil  for  an  hour. 
Then  remove  the  ham  and  onions  and  press  the  soup 
through  a  fine  sieve  and  put  to  boil  again,  adding  one 
half  a  pint  of  hot  cream,  and  season  with  salt  and  pepper. 
Beat  the  yolks  of  three  eggs  with  half  a  cupful  of  cream, 
and  stir  the  mixture  briskly  into  the  soup,  putting  in  also 
a  third  of  a  pound  of  good  butter,  and  stir  again  until  the 
butter  is  melted  and  thoroughly  mixed.  Sprinkle  over 
the  soup  a  little  chopped  parsley,  and  it  will  be  ready  to 
serve. 

Baked  Red  Snapper.  —  Clean  a  red  snapper  of  medium 
size,  and  place  it  in  a  buttered  pan.  Cover  the  fish  with 
tomato  sauce  ;  also  put  upon  it  small  portions  of  butter, 
and  sprinkle  freely  with  bread  crumbs.  It  is  then  ready 
for  the  oven,  where  it  should  remain  forty  minutes,  or 
until  the  flesh  becomes  detached  from  the  backbone.  It 
should  be  served  with  tomato  sauce  poured  over  it. 

Tomato  Sauce. —  Put  in  a  saucepan  one  ounce  of  raw 
ham,  a  carrot,  an  onion,  very  little  thyme,  a  bay  leaf,  two 
cloves,  a  small  clove  of  garlic  and  one  ounce  of  butter. 


84 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


After  these  simmer  for  ten  minutes,  add  an  ounce  of  flour 
well  mixed  in  one  quart  can  of  tomatoes  and  a  glass  of 
consomme  or  stock.  Let  all  boil  for  one-half  an  hour. 
Season  with  salt  and  pepper  and  the  least  portion  of  nut¬ 
meg.  Strain,  and  the  sauce  is  prepared. 

Roast  Quail,  Stuffed. —  Clean,  wash  and  wipe  dry 
the  desired  number  of  quails,  and  stuff  them  with  dry 
*  bread  or  meat  stuffing;  tie  them  securely  so  they  will  hold 
their  shape,  and  put  them  in  a  pan.  Season  with  salt  and 
pepper;  pour  in  a  small  quantity  of  water,  enough  to  cover 
the  bottom  of  the  pan,  and  place  a  strip  of  bacon  over 
each  quail.  Cover  them  nicely  with  a  buttered  paper,  and 
let  the  quail  remain  in  the  oven  for  fifteen  minutes,  then 
remove  the  paper  and  return  the  pan  to  the  hot  oven,  that 
the  quails  may  be  browned,  turning  them  frequently. 
Serve  on  toast,  pouring  a  little  gravy  over  them  ;  the  re¬ 
mainder  should  be  sent  to  the  table  in  a  sauce-bowl.  The 
gravy  is  made  by  putting  in  the  dripping-pan  in  which 
the  quails  were  roasted  one  pint  of  good  stock,  a  large 
spoonful  of  beef  bouillon,  and  letting  boil  for  five  minutes. 
Then  strain  and  remove  all  the  fat,  and  season  with  salt 
and  pepper.  Mashed  potatoes  make  a  good  dish  to  accom¬ 
pany  birds  whose  meat  is  dry  and  not  juicy. 

String  Beans. —  Take  a  can  of  string  beans,  strain  off 
the  liquid,  wash  again  in  cold  water.  Into  a  saucepan 
put  a  spoonful  of  butter,  and  then  put  in  the  beans. 
Season  with  salt  and  pepper,  and,  after  the  beans  are  well 
heated,  they  may  be  served. 

Rice  Pudding. —  Wash  six  ounces  of  rice,  changing 
the  water  several  times;  boil  it  in  boiling  water  for  ten 
minutes,  then  put  it  in  cold  water  for  a  moment,  drain  it 
and  put  into  a  saucepan  on  the  fire,  with  three  pints  of 


RECEPTION  HALL. 


» 


HOUSE  DECORATION. 


TlIE  Orientals  clothed  themselves  in  colors.  Their 
garments  were  decorated  with  figures  which  recorded 
events  in  their  history,  or,  not  unlike  those  that  came 
after,  were  the  products  of  imagination.  Decoration 
came  in  with  the  creation.  Long  before  the  first  architect 
dreamed  of  a  structure,  the  inhabitants  of  the  plains  living 
in  tents,  had  the  material  for  their  shelter  “  hand-painted,” 
and  the  entrances  to  them  were  hung  with  draperies  on 
which  were  symbols  and  history  and  poetry. 

We  are  given  to  speaking  of  the  progression  of  the 
age  in  which  we  live.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  this  age  has 
only  harmonized  that  which  made  the  world  beautiful 
when  its  Creator  brought  it  from  chaos  and  sent  it  revolv¬ 
ing  in  space  to  the  music  of  the  morning  stars,  which  — 

“  Sang  o’er  the  rising  ball.  ” 

In  the  course  of  time,  when  the  tents  of  the  plains 
had  been  folded  and  the  peoples  of  those  ages  began  to 
build,  we  find  them  decorating  their  houses  with  material 
and  designs  similar  to  those  with  which  they  wrapped 
themselves. 

The  customs  of  the  earth  changed;  the  maps  of  the 
hemispheres  have  been  altered  by  revolutions,  and  history 
has  been  written  and  forgotten. 

“  A  thousand  years  their 
Gloomy  wings  expand,” 


I  12 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


and  we  find  the  women  of  our  civilized  era  paying  court 
to  a  carpet  weaver  to  create  something  in  colors  and  com¬ 
bination  for  wearing  apparel,  and,  having  adorned  them¬ 
selves  with  the  fabrics,  they  have  “  parted  their  raiment,” 
and  given  parcels  of  it  to  festooning  their  homes,  making 
them  places  of  beauty  and  full  of  rest. 

Penelope  was  not  unlike  her  sex  of  the  present  genera¬ 
tion.  She  never  finished  her  web.  That  which  she  deftly 
did  by  day  was  torn  and  destroyed  by  night.  She 
resumed  her  work  in  the  morning  with  eagerness,  and  im¬ 
proved  upon  it  by  making  it  more  elaborate  and  beautiful. 

The  woman  of  the  present  generation  removes  to-day 
that  which  she  used  yesterday  to  make  her  home  a  picture. 
There  is  no  continuity  in  decoration,  and  there  should 
be  none.  “  The  house  beautiful  ”  would  lose  its  reputa¬ 
tion  for  artistic  interior  if  it  remained  always  the  same. 

I  want  my  home  made  beautiful;  adorn  it  lavishly 
as  you  may.  What  are  the  designs?  ”  was  the  remark 
and  interrogatory  of  a  woman  of  refinement  and  wealth, 
to  a  man  who  has  made  a  life-study  of  the  work. 

“  There  are  no  designs,”  he  replied.  “  Decoration,” 
he  continued,  “  is  a  thing  of  personality.  No  one  road, 
though  the  thoroughfare  may  be  a  royal  one,  will  lead  to 
any  one  design,  or  school  of  decoration.  There  is  every¬ 
thing  to  consider  —  paradoxical  as  it  may  sound,  there  is 
nothing  to  consider.” 

He  was  right. 

Said  another  man  whose  study  it  is  to  make  homes 
beautiful:  “  Who  is  your  architect?  Is  he  building  for  the 
purpose  of  sheltering  you  merely?  or  is  he  building  with  a 
view  to  decoration?  Is  the  structure  to  be  modern  or 
ancient?  Is  it  of  brown  stone,  gray,  block  or  pressed 


woman’s  kingdom. 


115 

impress  upon  the  American  people,  and  that  is  this:  No¬ 
where  on  the  face  of  the  earth  is  there  such  wood  as  we 
grow  in  this  country  for  decoration  and  the  finish  of  our 
houses.  There  isn’t  any  of  the  wood  used  in  our  houses 
which  is  not  as  susceptible  of  high  finish  and  polish  as  any 
Parian  marble  that  was  ever  quarried.  There  is  no  deco¬ 
ration  which  gives  a  home  the  same  effect  as  these  Ameri¬ 
can  woods,  I  care  not  which  one  may  be  selected.  I 
fancy,’’  he  continued,  “  that  no  sane  man  in  this  age  of  the 
world  would  allow  a  decorator  to  grain  his  wood.  I  must 
say  that,  so  enthusiastic  am  I  upon  the  matter  of  finishing 
homes  in  natural  wood,  that  it  seems  to  be  running  to  the 
cheap  and  gaudy  to  see  a  room  finished  in  Lincustra- 
Walton,  or  some  other  material  that  is  showy,  but  never 
possessed  of  that  beauty  which  accompanies  durability. 
Nor  would  I  advise  any  man  to  finish  in  white.  You 
know  there  was  a  time  when  the  interior  had  to  be  a  glassy 
white  or  a  dull.  There  is  no  demand  for  that  any  more. 
Good  sense,  to  say  nothing  about  taste,  has  relegated  white 
to  other  places.  Do  not  understand  me  as  saying  that  a 
white  and  gold  in  the  proper  place,  is  not  a  handsome  fin¬ 
ish  and  an  effective  one.  You  may  have  touches  of  it  in 
your  salon ,  if  the  other  decorations  are  in  harmony.  ” 

WOMAN’S  KINGDOM. 

The  Home  of  the  Heart  — What  Makes  It  the  Sweetest  and  Dear¬ 
est  Place  on  Earth. 

I  come  now  to  that  kingdom  where  women  are 
queens  —  a  kingdom  which  has  no  lines  of  royalty  and 
no  crests,  and  yet  one  that  is  more  to  the  heart  of  woman 
than  any  realm  of  a  titular  dignitary. 

It  is  the  home  in  which  nations  are  educated.  If 
it  be  true,  and  surely  it  is,  that,  though  it  be  ever  so 


ii  6 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


homely,  there  is  no  place  like  home,  what  shall  be  said  of 
the  homes  of  refinement  and  culture  of  the  present 
time?  Surely  there  is  a  field  in  this  decorating  of  the 
homes  in  which  women  may  have  the  proudest  distinction. 
It  is  here  where  she  may  elaborate  to  the  utter  content¬ 
ment  of  her  own  nature;  here  she  may  bring  to  bear  the 
little  conceits,  the  pretty  things  which  creep  out  from  the 
nooks  and  corners,  the  surprises  from  the  hitherto  neg¬ 
lected  spots.  Here  she  sits,  like  Penelope,  again  creating, 
though  the  work  be  destroyed  the  next  hour.  She  beau¬ 
tifies  more  than  ever  after  the  destruction.  Here  there  is 
nothing  in  which  ingenuity  cannot  hold  revel.  There  is 
nothing  too  elaborate  —  there  is  nothing  too  simple  to  turn 
into  something  that  peeks  out  at  an  unexpected  moment, 
in  an  unexpected  nook. 

A  lady  in  Chicago  who  has  a  knack  of  making  an 
ensemble  of  simple  things,  took  a  cast-away  shoe  of  her 
baby,  and  bronzed  it.  Into  the  opening  she  inserted  a 
brass  bucket — a  tiny  one,  which  cost  her  three  cents  —  and 
this  was  put  on  the  writing  desk  of  her  husband,  and  into 
it  he  knocks  the  ashes  of  his  cigars. 

Let  me  enter  the  house  beautiful,  and  take  up  its 
beauties,  those  that  are  elaborate.  Come  with  me  in  the 

f 

exploration  of  this  field,  that  has  such  limits  that  any 
woman  may  find  in  them  somewhere  a  sphere  adapted  to 
herself. 

THE  RECEPTION  HALL. 

Let  us  enter  the  house  at  once.  Here  is  the  recep¬ 
tion  hall. 

It  is  the  same  with  your  house  as  it  is  with  your 
.newly  formed  acquaintance.  The  first  impression  is  the 


SETTING  ROOM. 


130 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


as  many  for  your  library,  always  remembering  that  they 
should  be  appropriate,  as  you  can  find  places  for  them. 

Where  else  would  an  inscription  be  more  appropriate? 

There  is  no  apology  necessary  for  asking  so  much 
of  your  time  to  this  essay,  if  you  may  call  it  that,  on  the 
library.  If  you  have  one,  you  will  agree  that  the  only 
criticism  to  be  made  is  that  the  essay  is  not  longer. 

THE  DINING-ROOM. 

Where  the  Master  Meets  His  Family  and  Friends  and  Makes  the 

Welcome  Double. 

You  may  have  met  your  guest  in  the  cheery  vestibule 
hall  and  given  him  the  right  hand;  you  may  have  received 
him  in  your  salon  with  its  rococo,  renaissance,  early  En¬ 
glish,  old  Dutch  or  colonial  furnishings;  he  may  have 
enjoyed  the  subdued  richness  of  some  Persian  design,  “  or 
the  light-loving  colors  of  Arabia,”  or  the  Louis  XVI.  sets. 
The  perfume  of  your  conservatory  may  have  intoxicated 
his  senses  until  he  dreamed  of  the  tropics,  and  he  may  have 
enjoyed  the  restfulness  of  the  guest’s  chamber  until  it  car¬ 
ried  him  homeward  in  his  sleep. 

But  you  have  not  entertained  him  until  he  has  sat  at 
your  table.  The  breaking  of  bread  was  the  first  rule  of 
hospitality.  The  history  of  nations  and  feasts  are  closely 
interwoven.  Beauty  and  wit  sit  down  together  on  state 
occasions  in  the  banquet  hall. 

Some  of  the  conventionalities  of  the  salon  may  be 
broken  over  with  propriety  in  the  dining-room.  It  is  the 
neutral  ground  of  the  house.  It  is  the  dining-room,  and 
all  which  appertains  thereto,  that  tightens  up  the  cords  of 
friendship,  and  makes  good  will  among  men  and  women. 
Here  is  the  glow  of  home.  There  is  no  mistaking  the 


THE  DINING-ROOM. 


131 

good  intentions  of  this  apartment  if  they  are  in  existence. 
If  a  man  is  not  at  home  here  he  will  not  be  anywhere. 
From  this  precinct  he  goes  out  and  realizes  the  full  mean¬ 
ing  of  the  couplet: 

Fate  cannot  harm  me, 

I  have  dined  to-day. 

You  have,  in  advance,  prepared  your  menu,  and  your 
table  is  arranged.  If  these  are  not  satisfactory,  granting 
that  your  better  nature  is  at  peace  with  all  the  world,  you 
may  be  sure  that  the  reason  may  be  found  in  the  fact  that 
your  architect  and  decorator  have  not  done  their  work. 

If  there  is  anything  in  the  construction  of  your  dining¬ 
room  that  smacks  of  the  dainty  or  delicate,  have  it  removed. 

You  will  never  enjoy  a  dinner  there,  and  your  epicu¬ 
rean  friend  will  go  away  from  your  presence  with  the  feel¬ 
ing  that  “  one  thing  thou  lackest.” 

A  gentleman  who  had  seen  the  world,  returned  home 
and  built  him  a  mansion.  Its  furnishing  was  complete. 
The  architect  and  the  decorator  left  the  house  just  as  the 
owner’s  heart  and  taste  had  desired  it.  Some  time  after 
its  occupancy  a  friend  from  one  of  the  European  capitals 
was  his  guest.  This  guest  was  a  man  who  knew  by  intu¬ 
ition,  education  and  observation,  precisely  what  was 
required  to  make  a  house  complete. 

On  the  termination  of  his  visit  the  host  said:  “  I  want 
your  candid  opinion  about  my  house.” 

The  guest  thus  appealed  to  replied,  “  You  have  no 
dining-room,  therefore  you  have  no  house.” 

The  dining-room,  had  been  neglected.  There  had 
been  no  proper  arrangement  for  light.  The  wood  about 
the  walls  and  ceilings  were  delicate.  It  was  a  child’s  idea 
of  a  play-house.  The  owner,  in  the  first  place,  was  a 


THE  BED-ROOM. 


143 


The  bed-room  is  where  we  “  wrap  the  drapery  of” 
our  couch  about  us  and  lie  down  to  pleasant  dreams.” 

It  is  the  resting  place  where  we  lounge  when  “  darkness 
falls  from  the  wing  of  night.”  If  it  be  a  bed-room  simply, 
it  is  more  or  less  confined,  and,  being  so,  one  is  unable  to 
place  within  its  walls  the  mementoes  and  pretty  things 
which  become  a  bed-room  more  appropriately  than  any 
other.  It,  would  seem,,  from  some  considerations,  that 
“  bed-room,”  or  “  sleeping  apartment,”  is  a  misnomer.  If 
this  apartment  is  the  living-room  —  to  use  our  grand¬ 
mother’s  name  for  it,  the  sitting-room — then  “  bed -room” 
is  a  misnomer. 

With  the  advancement  in  everything  calculated  for 
such  an  apartment,  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  be 
the  living,  as  well  as  the^bed  room.  If  it  be  used  as  a  bed¬ 
room  solely,  it  will  never  receive  the  same  attention  it 
would  otherwise  receive  if  it  were  the  living-room.  You 
may  think  differently,  and  be  honest  in  the  thought.  But 
there  will  come  days  when  it  will  be  neglected  in  spite  of 
your  good  intentions;  these  poor  natures  of  ours  are  so  apt 
to  lag  by  the  way,  at  times,  in  spite  of  the  best  resolutions. 

There  appear  to  be  more  and  better  reasons  for  throw- 
ins  the  living:  and  the  bed  room  into  one  than  there  are 
reasons  against  it. 

Let  me  say,  then,  that  they  are  one.  It  follows  that 
the  room  should  be  the  perfection  of  home.  The  children 
gather  about  you  there  in  all  of  the  seasons  —  they  show 
their  faces  at  the  windows  to  watch  the  flight  of  birds,  to 
see  the  world  without,  to  follow  the  patter  of  the  rain  on 
the  glass  in  summer,  to  watch  the  snow  fall  in  winter,  and, 
in  the  evenings,  to  look  into  the  sky  with  its  groves  of 
stars.  ” 


144 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


It  is  the  place  where  the  family  pictures  hang;  where 
the  husband  confides  the  cares  and  pleasures  of  his  life  to 
the  wife  of  his  heart;  where  the  wife  adjusts  the  differ¬ 
ences  of  the  household;  where  she  arranges  her  plans  for 
to-morrow;  where  she  takes  her  confidantes;  where  she 
mends  for  baby,  for,  no  matter  what  her  resources  may 
be,  the  American  mother  loves  to  do  this,  and  will  do  it. 
It  is  the  place  where  the  children  say  good  night,  and  give 
their  kisses,  and  from  which  they  are  taken  to  their  own 
couches. 

There  must  be  times  when  one’s  head  will  ache,  and 
the  limbs  grow  tired,  and  what  more  appropriate  than  to 
pillow  one’s  self  in  one’s  own  living-room,  from  every  nook 
of  which  some  pleasant  recollection  looks  down. 

A  kindly  disposed  man  who  knew  something  of  the 
world,  said  to  his  house  decorator,  “  Be  careful  what 
paper  you  put  on  the  walls  of  my  living-room,  rvhere  I 
sleep.  I  am  tired  sometimes,  and  sometimes  I  am  sick. 
My  eyes  do  not  close,  and  in  such  moments,  when  I  am 
on  my  bed,  and  my  eyes  wander  about  the  room,  as  they 
will,  I  want  them  to  rest  upon  something  pleasant  on  the 
walls.  Don’t  select  such  patterns  as  will  get  me  puzzled 
with  their  angles.  There  is  everything  to  a  sick  man  in 
the  right  kind  of  figures  on  the  walls.” 

How  shall  this  living-room  be  furnished  ? 

Carpets  offered  for  the  entire  floor  are  in  body  Brus¬ 
sels,  Moquettes  and  Wilton,  in  unusually  soft  tones  of 
color  and  simple  in  design  to  become  the  situation  ;  and, 
if  you  will  have,  as  you  must,  other  rooms  for  sleeping, 
there  should  be  a  distinct  feeling  of  color  —  blue  to  pre¬ 
dominate,  we  will  say,  in  one  room,  old  rose  to  predomi¬ 
nate  in  the  other;  or  ivory  or  gray-blue  and  red,  or 


ELEGANCE  FOR  LITTLE  MONEY. 


153 

eye  as  sleeping  in  a  room,  through  the  windows  of  which 
the  morning  light  breaks.  For  health — and  with  health 
there  follows  always  a  brood  of  blessings  —  double  shades 
are  a  necessity  in  a  sleeping  apartment. 

One  additional  idea  on  shades  before  we  enter  that 
inimitable  domain  so  dear  to  woman’s  heart  —  “  the  house 
beautiful.”  If  your  house  is  of  a  somber  material,  good 
taste  will  warrant  your  return  to  the  school  of  decoration 
in  vogue  when  — 

“  Venice  sate  in  state,  throned  on  her  hundred  isles,” 

the  old-fashioned  Venetian  blind.  Your  grandmother 
followed  that  school,  and  you  may  be  sure,  that,  in  adopt¬ 
ing  it  in  this  age  of  beauty,  you  will  violate  no  rule. 
Especially  true  is  this  in  any  house  which  has  on  it  the 
impress  of  stateliness. 

Need  it  be  said,  that,  if  you  are  following  out  the 
Chippendale  school  of  decoration,  you  will  not  want  the 
Venetian  blind?  About  the  Chippendale  there  was  “  a 
light,  airy  nothingness,”  in  keeping  with  many  of  the 
French  ideas  so  characteristic  of  the  year  1700. 

ELEGANCE  FOR  LITTLE  MONEY. 

How  often  in  my  rounds  have  I  been  met  with  the 
inquiry:  “  How  can  we  who  are  not  the  salt  of  the  earth, 
financially  speaking,  adorn  our  homes.  Everything  neces¬ 
sary  for  house  decoration  is  so  expensive  that  our  tastes 
fail  to  reach  them.” 

There  are  some  homely  sayings  which  come  up  now 
and  then  to  answer  what  seem  to  be  abstruse  problems. 
One  of  these  sayings  is:  “Where  there’s  a  will  there’s  a 
wav.”  A  woman  who  has  the  innate  love  of  docointion 


154 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


will  beautify  an  alcove  and  trim  an  attic  in  a  way  that 
would  make  any  mortal  content. 

Now,  here  is  a  pretty  room,  and  it  is  within  the  reach 
of  that  woman  who  has  the  love  of  home  at  heart,  and  who 
has  a  husband  who  is  just  half-way  inclined  to  humor  her 
whims.  The  decorator  who  gives  it  calls  it  “  the  pink 
room.  ” 

Very  appropriate,  for  the  woodwork  is  painted  a 
pale  pink  color,  the  ceiling  being  tinted  in  light  shade. 
The  walls  are  covered  with  cheese  cloth,  cream  white  in 
color,  plated  in  wide  box  pleats.  A  frieze  of  cretonne, 
eighteen  inches  deep,  with  cream  ground  nearly  covered 
with  pink  roses  and  pale  olive-green  leaves,  meets  the 
cheese  cloth,  and  is  divided  from  it  by  a  narrow  picture 
rail  in  dead  gold. 

The  floor  is  stained  a  dark  color,  and  covered  by  a 
large  Chinese  cotton  rug  of  white  ground,  with  ara¬ 
besque  border  and  medallion  of  shaded  pinks.  These 
rugs  are  particularly  adapted  for  summer. 

The  sofas  and  chairs  show  no  woodwork  ;  they  are 
covered  with  the  same  cretonne  as  frieze,  upholstered  in, 
with  back  and  seats  tufted.  The  portieres  are  of  cream 
white  momie  cloth,  with  wide  band  of  same,  embroidered 
in  crewels,  with  a  design  of  pink  dog-roses. 

The  window  curtains  are  of  cream  white  scrym,  with 
pink  stripes,  and  are  tied  back  by  wide  pink  satin  ribbons. 

Little  sash  curtains  of  pink  Chrnese  silk  hang 
charmingly  on  rods,  with  only  a  narrow  hem  for  trim¬ 
mings. 

The  mantel-cover  is  a  wide  piece  of  pink  Chinese 
silk,  laid  like  a  scarf  over  the  shelf,  the  piece  hanging  over 
being  looped  up  in  the  middle  and  toward  each  end,  thus 


AN  AUTHORITY  ON  DESIGNS. 


167 


AN  AUTHORITY  ON  DESIGNS. 

This  is  an  interesting  study — designs  in  furniture.  I 
have  had  the  opinions  of  many  house-furnishers  and 
decorators  on  this  one  point,  and  I  adopt  the  exact  lan¬ 
guage  of  one  who  has  charge  of  the  largest  and  decidedly 
the  richest  collections  in  the  city  of  Chicago.  He  said: 

In  the  new  styles  of  furniture  the  designs  are  sim¬ 
pler,  and  the  ornamentation  less  elaborate  and  more  chaste. 
The  same  principles  are  now  followed  in  cabinet-making 
as  in  architecture.  Barring  special  cases,  which  may  be 
regarded  as  exceptions,  there  is  a  growing  disuse  of  orna¬ 
mentation,  purely  as  such.  Designers  are  seeking  more 
and  more  the  beauty  that  rbsults  from  simple,  even 
severe,  lines  and  fine  finish.  In  some  styles,  especially 
of  tables  and  bed-room  sets,  this  is  almost  carried  to 
excess.  The  aim,  of  course,  is  to  produce  striking  effects 
without  such  an  expenditure  of  labor  in  manufacture  as 
to  prohibit  sale,  and,  in  so  far  as  designers  now  sin  in  this 
respect,  I  think  they  sin  on  the  right  side. 

“  Taste  is  now  gravitating  toward  the  antique.  With 
the  exception  of  a  few  patent  devices,  such  as  folding- 
beds,  office  furniture,  and  revolving  book-cases,  nothing 
really  new  has  been  got  out  for  years.  The  Eastlake  pat¬ 
terns,  so  popular  some  time  ago,  were  nothing  but  a  crude 
adaptation  of  the  Gothic.  Painted  furniture,  once  so  popu¬ 
lar,  was  novel  only  in  its  finish.  So,  too,  with  stained 
woods,  which  are  used  only  for  cheap  goods.  All  these 
are  now  out  of  date,  and  designers  are  busy  working  over 
Romanesque,  renaissance,  Louis  IV. ,  and  colonial  patterns. 
We  adapt  and  unite  the  different  types  just  as  modern 
architects  combine  different  styles  of  architecture,  and 


i68 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


many  of  our  most  pleasing  effects  are  obtained  in  this  way. 
The  popular  fad  keeps  us  within  the  leading-strings  of  the 
antique,  and,  so  far  as  this  requirement  is  met,  we  are  left 
free  to  make  as  many  violations  or  combinations  of  art 
principles  as  we  choose. 

“  In  the  matter  of  woods,  oak  has  precedence.  Cherry 
probably  follows  next.  Birch  and  curly  maple  are  much 
used,  since  they  give  a  pleasing,  dainty  effect  Walnut, 
which  for  some  time  has  been  out  of  favor,  is  gradually 
coming  back  again.  Oak  and  cherry  are  now  what  wal¬ 
nut  used  to  be — the  staple  goods  —  and  I  presume  it  will 
not  be  long  before  they,  too,  will  yield  to  the  popular  fancy, 
and  take  the  obscure  corners  of  retail  establishments. 
Mahogany  will  always  be  popular,  but  it  is  too  expensive 
a  material  to  be  of  wide  use.  Good  oak  can  be  had  for 
$50  a  thousand,  and  the  same  quality  of  mahogany  costs 
$150,  and,  when  the  former  will  take  as  fine  a  finish,  and 
give  as  pleasing  an  effect  as  the  latter,  it  is  bound  to  catch 
the  masses.” 


t 


HEALTH  OF  WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN. 


CHAPTER  I. 

woman’s  physical  structure. 

The  health  of  woman  depends  upon  the  physical 
development,  not  alone  of  those  structures  that  are  com¬ 
mon  to  both  sexes,  but  particularly  of  the  special  organs 
and  functions  that  characterize  her  own  sex.  How  impor¬ 
tant,  then,  that  every  mother  and  every  girl  who  expects 
to  become  a  wife  and  mother  should  understand  the  struc¬ 
ture  and  physiological  development  of  those  organs  that 
impose  on  her  special  and  ennobling  duties  in  life,  and  may 
also,  through  ignorance,  entail  life-long  disappointments, 
pain,  sickness,  premature  old  age  and  death. 

To  know  herself,  woman  must  study  the  structure  of 
the  various  organs  of  the  human  body,  and  thus  learn  that 
in  nothing  but  the  organs  of  generation  does  she  materi¬ 
ally  differ  from  her  brother.  She  eats  the  same  food,  and 
this  is  assimilated  by  organs  exactly  the  same  as  those  of 
man.  She  breathes,  thinks,  sees,  feels,  hears  and  tastes 
in  the  same  way  as  he,  and  the  heart,  liver,  kidneys,  skin, 
and  all  other  organs  are  the  same  in  both.  As  a  rule, 
however,  woman  is  smaller  than  man,  and  the  various 
organs  are  proportionately  so,  but  we  often  see  as  much 
difference  in  the  size  of  individuals  of  the  same  sex  as 
there  is  between  men  and  women,  so  that  we  cannot  be 
certain  that  this  difference  in  size  is  not  due  to  difference 
in  environment  in  the  formative  period  of  life. 


170 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


It  is  only  when  we  reach  the  generative  organs  and 
parts  connected  therewith  that  the  real  difference  in  struc¬ 
ture  and  function  is  manifest.  The  hips  of  women  are 
broader  than  those  of  men,  because  the  bones  of  the  pelvis 
(haunch  bones)  are  spread  out  more  to  afford  room  for 
child-bearing;  and  the  mammary  glands,  or  breasts,  are 
developed  in  woman  to  supply  her  offspring  with  proper 
nourishment,  while  there  is  only  a  rudimentary  nipple 
without  a  gland  in  man. 

The  special  organs  of  sex  in  women  are  divided  into 
the  external  and  internal  organs  of  generation,  a  knowl¬ 
edge  of  which  should  be  here  acquired  in  order  to  under¬ 
stand  the  important  questions  hereinafter  discussed. 

THE  EXTERNAL  ORGANS. 

The  external  organs  of  generation  are  situated  on  the 
exterior  of  the  bony  pelvis  or  basin,  where  they  can  be 
readily  seen,  and  are  technically  named:  1st,  the  mons 
veneris,  or  mountain  of  Venus;  2d,  the  labia  majora,  or 
greater  lips;  3d,  the  labia  minora,  or  lesser  lips;  4th,  the 
clitoris;  5th,  the  hymen;  6th,  the  perineum. 

The  Mons  Veneris. — The  mons  veneris  is  a  triangular 
eminence  formed  by  an  accumulation  of  fat  under  the  skin 
at  the  lowest  point  of  the  abdomen,  directly  over  the  bony 
arch  in  front  of  the  pelvis.  It  is  peculiar  to  the  female  sex, 
and  more  prominent  in  young  virgins  than  in  mothers  or 
aged  women.  It  is  also  said  to  be  more  developed  in 

young  women  who  are  natives  of  tropical  climates.  The 

♦ 

skin  over  the  part  is  smooth  in  early  life,  but  at  puberty  it 
is  covered  with  hair. 

Its  use  has  never  been  satisfactorily  ascertained,  but 
early  writers  claimed  that  it  was  more  elevated  just  before 


THE  INTERNAL  ORGANS. 


173 


The  Perineum.  —  The  perineum  is  the  space  between 
the  back  part  of  the  vulva,  and  the  anus,  or  back  passage. 
Though  not  properly  belonging  to  the  generative  organs, 
it  plays  an  important  part  at  childbirth,  as  its  ready  dila¬ 
tation  permits  a  speedy  expulsion  of  the  child,  while  the 
labor  is  greatly  protracted  if  it  is  hard  and  rigid.  It  is 
often  ruptured  during  labor,  and,  unless  properly  attended 
to  at  the  time,  a  serious  operation  is  required. 

All  these  parts  qre  liable  to  disease  and  accident,  and 
therefore  a  general  knowledge  of  their  structure  and 
functions  is  necessary  to  an  understanding  of  what  may 
be  hereafter  said  regarding  the  health  of  the  parts. 

THE  INTERNAL  ORGANS. 

The  internal  organs  of  generation  are:  1  st,  the  vagina; 
2d,  the  uterus,  or  womb  ;  3d,  the  Fallopian  tubes  and 
ligaments  ;  4th,  the  ovaries.  They  are  all  hidden  from 
view,  and  contained  in  the  bony  cavity,  or  basin,  formed 
by  the  bones  of  the  pelvis,  or  haunch*  bones.  The 
bladder  and  rectum  are  also  contained  in  this  cavity,  and, 
as  they  often  bear  important  relations. to  the  generative 
organs,  they  will  be  briefly  described  in  connection  there¬ 
with. 

The  Vagina.  —  The  vagina  is  a  cylindrical  canal  which 
connects  the  internal  with  the  external  organs.  It  is  com¬ 
posed  of  muscular  fibers,  and  is  lined  with  a  delicate 
mucous  membrane.  At  maturity  it  is  from  five  to  six 
inches  long,  and  about  one  inch  in  width,  but  this  varies 
materially  under  different  circumstances  in  life.  It  is 
largely  supplied  with  blood-vessels  and  nerves,  and  is 
highly  sensitive,  especially  near  its  orifice,  where  the  tis¬ 
sue  is  spongy  and  erectile.  Its  upper  extremity  is  attached  to 


174 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


the  upper  part  of  the  neck  of  the  womb,  the  womb  being 
held  by  it  like  a  cork  in  a  bottle,  except  that  the  weight  of 
the  womb  appears  to  invert  the  upper  end  in  such  a  man¬ 
ner  as  to  form  a  circular  groove  between  the  lower  part  of 
the  neck  of  the  womb  and  the  walls  of  the  vagina.  It 
forms  an  outlet  for  the  menstrual  flow  and  for  the  passage 
of  the  child  at  birth.  It  is  also  the  organ  of  copulation. 
It  is  subject  to  inflammation  and  other  disorders  which 
will  be  hereinafter  described.  * 

The  Uterus. — The  uterus,  or  womb,  is  a  hollow,  pear- 
shaped  organ,  situated  above  the  vagina  and  between  the 
bladder  and  rectum.  It  is  very  small  in  early  childhood, 
but  grows  rapidly,  and  reaches  its  full  size  at  puberty,  when 
it  is  about  three  inches  long,  two  inches  broad  at  its  base, 
and  from  one  to  one  and  one-half  inch  broad  at  the  neck. 
Its  lower  part,  or  neck,  projects  into  the  vagina,  and  is  cov¬ 
ered  by  a  mucous  membrane  which  is  continuous  with 
that  of  the  vagina.  The  mouth  of  the  womb  is  a  small 
oval  aperture*  situated  in  the  center  of  the  lower  extrem¬ 
ity  of  the  neck,  and  can  be  readily  felt  with  the  finger  in 
the  vagina.  From  this  a  narrow  canal  leads  into  the 
cavity  of  the  womb.  The  cavity  is  narrow  below,  but 
expands  toward  the  base,  and  has  an  opening  on  each 
side  which  connects  with  the  canals  of  the  Fallopian  tubes. 
The  walls  of  the  womb  are  composed  of  muscular  fibers 
about  half  an  inch  in  thickness,  and  are  lined  internally  by 
mucous  membrane.  Externally  the  womb  is  covered  by 
the  peritoneum,  a  delicate  investing  membrane  which  cov¬ 
ers  and  holds  in  position  most  of  the  organs  of  the  abdo¬ 
men  and  pelvis.  This  membrane,  through  sympathy  with 
the  womb,  often  becomes  the  seat  of  inflammation,  which  is 
called  peritonitis. 


MISS  CARRIE  DANIELS. 


CHAPTER  II. 

MAIDENHOOD. 

MAIDENHOOD,  in  its  broadest  sense,  means  the  state 
of  being  a  virgin,  but  the  term  is  used  here  to  indicate 
the  period  between  puberty  and  maturity,  which  covers 
about  six  to  eight  years.  The  term  puberty  is  derived 
from  a  Latin  word  which  means  “  to  begin  to  have  hair,” 
and  the  name  pubis  is  given  to  the  bony  prominence  at 
the  lower  boundary  of  the  abdomen,  just  above  the  gener¬ 
ative  organs,  where  the  hair  grows.  In  its  broader  senses 
the  word  puberty  is  used  to  indicate  the  beginning  of  the 
period  when  people  are  capable  of  procreation,  or  bear¬ 
ing  children. 

The  age  of  puberty  varies  according  to  temperament, 
climate  and  mode  of  life.  In  girls  it  usually  ranges 
from  the  twelfth  to  the  fourteenth  year,  and  in  boys  from 
the  fourteenth  to  the  sixteenth  year.  Girls  develop  more 
rapidly  in  warm  climates,  and  puberty  is  sometimes 
attained  as  early  as  the  tenth  year,  while  in  very  cold 
countries  it  is  not  reached  before  the  age  of  sixteen  or 
even  eighteen.  In  some  cases  even  in  our  own  climate 
girls  are  not  "developed  till  their  sixteenth  or  seventeenth 
year. 

As  the  girl  approaches  puberty ,  hair  grows  around  the 
generative  organs,  her  breasts  enlarge,  her  hips  broaden, 
her  limbs  round  out,  and  her  whole  form  takes  on  a  classic 
beauty.  Like  the  budding  flower,  she  expands  in  every 
way  till  at  last  she  blooms  forth  a  blushing  maiden.  New 

12  177 


I# 


178 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


forces  are  now  at  work  in  her  organism,  and  the  romping, 
forward  girl  is  lost  in  the  retiring,  bashful,  sensitive  being 
who  has  just  crossed  the  threshhold  that  separates  her 
from  her  brother  and  leads  to  the  development  of  perfect 
womanhood. 

A  new  and  individual  functional  life  now  begins,  the 
nature  of  which  should  have  been  fully  explained  to  her 
before,  and  by  her  mother.  The  ovaries  and  uterus,  which 
have  been  undergoing  a  gradual  development  from  baby¬ 
hood,  now  take  on  their  special  activities  and  the  period  of 
menstruation  begins.  It  is  the  appearance  of  the  menstrual 
flow  that  marks  the  sexual  development  that  is  complete 
at  the  age  of  puberty,  and,  when  this  occurs,  the  girl  is 
capable  of  becoming  a  mother. 

It  has  long  been  the  custom  of  physicians  and  parents 
to  consider  this  as  the  critical  period  in  the  life  of 
woman,  and  much  has  been  said  and  written  concerning 
the  great  care  with  which  the  girl  should  be  watched  dur¬ 
ing  the  first  months  of  menstruation.  This  has  been 
looked  upon  as  the  period  of  sexual  development,  while 
in  fact  the  appearance  of  the  menstrual  flow  marks  the 
completeness  of  ovarian  and  uterine  development,  and 
the  commencement  of  a  health  function  which  can  only 
result  from  healthy  and  fully  developed  organs. 

Dr.  Ely  Van  de  Walker,  writing  on  “  The  Genesis  of 
Woman,”  in  the  Popular  Science  Monthly  for  July,  1 88 1 , 
touches  the  key-notes  of  this  subject  in  the  following 
words: 

“  Young  women  become  objects  of  parental  and  med¬ 
ical  solicitude  at  a  period  when  it  will  have  but  little 
influence  on  the  perfection  or  imperfection  of  their  sexual 
life.  By  the  keenness  of  the  vision  directed  to  this  period 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  OF  WOMEN. 


183 


menstrual  period.  A  person  may  be  exposed  a  hundred 
times  without  any  bad  result,  yet  at  any  time  such  ex¬ 
posure  may  result  in  menstrual  suppression  or  other 
functional  disturbance.  It  is  therefore  especially  advis¬ 
able  to  avoid  getting  the  feet  or  clothes  wet  during  the 
menstrual  period. 

The  injuries  of  tight  lacing  during  maidenhood  cannot 
be  overlooked.  The  organs  of  digestion,  as  well  as  the 
womb  and  ovaries,  are  displaced  by  it,  and  hence  con¬ 
gestion,  inflammation  and  functional  disturbances  are 
sure  to  follow,  and  when  they  occur  the  cause  is  over¬ 
looked,  and  it  is  claimed  that  they  are  due  to  the  tyranny 
of  her  organization.  Again  high-heeled  boots  change  the 
natural  axis  of  the  body  and  give  rise  to  uterine  dis¬ 
placements  which  are  supposed  to  be  the  natural  heritage 
of  women. 

If  wre  are  to  have  healthy  women  the  years  between 
puberty  and  maturity  must  be  guarded  so  far  as  the 
observance  of  the  general  laws  of  health  are  concerned 
and  the  correction  of  the  errors  of  the  past  in  everything 
that  relates  to  women. 

HIGHER  EDUCATION  OF  WOMEN. 

At  this  late  day  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  make  a  plea 
for  the  higher  education  of  women.  They  have  so  uni¬ 
versally  demonstrated  their  fitness  to  pursue  the  higher 
education,  and  their  ability  to  compete  successfully  with 
men,  that  their  strongest  opponents  have  been  long  since 
silenced.  Yet  many  still  adhere  to  the  belief  that  the 
majority  of  girls  are  unfitted  to  pursue  the  same  course  of 
study  as  boys  on  account  of  the  peculiarities  of  their  sex. 
Dr.  Maudsley,  of  London;  Dr.  Clark,  of  Boston,  and  others, 


1 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


184 

have  claimed  that  the  menstrual  function  makes  woman  an 
invalid  for  one -quarter  of  each  month,  and  thus  renders 
her  incapable  of  pursuing  her  educational  advantages  con¬ 
tinuously.  When  such  a  condition  does  exist,  it  will 
always  be  found  to  result  from  the  tyranny  of  modern  civ¬ 
ilization,  and  not  from  the  tyranny  of  woman’s  organization. 
Perfect  organization  means  perfect  function,  and  any 
natural  function  does  not  interfere  either  with  proper 
mental  or  physical  effort.  If  it  were  true  that  woman  is 
incapacitated  for  labor  one-quarter  of  each  month,  why 
should  not  some  sympathy  be  extended  to  the  thousands 
of  girls  and  women  who  are  compelled  to  work  the  year 
round  from  early  morning  till  late  at  night  in  the  factories, 
stores,  kitchens  and  fields  all  over  the  world. 

When  this  side  of  the  question  is  touched,  many  are 
willing  to  acknowledge  that  the  menstrual  function  is 
normal,  and  may  be  perfectly  healthy,  and  that  it  is  not 
deranged  by  physical  labor;  yet  they  adhere  to  the  belief 
that  in  consequence  of  that  function  women  differ  from 
men  in  their  modes  of  thought.  They  even  say  that  this 
difference  is  noticed  in  early  childhood,  and,  as  an  instance 
of  it,  quote  the  passion  little  girls  have  for  dolls.  I  need 
not  tell  any  one  who  has  studied  the  habits  of  children 
that  this  supposed  difference  does  not  exist,  except  as  it 
has  been  developed  by  environment.  Give  a  little  girl 
her  choice  between  out-door  sports  and  the  most  beauti¬ 
ful  dolls,  and  see  how  soon  the  dolls  are  forgotten;  observe 
how  she  deserts  her  doll  for  the  rougher  toys  of  her 
brother,  and  then  say  if  you  can  that  the  instinct  of  her 
sex  makes  her  fond  of  dolls. 

Examine  the  brain  of  woman  by  the  most  careful 
examination  to  which  it  can  be  subjected,  and  you  cannot 


CHAPTER  III. 


MENSTRUATION  AND  OVULATION. 

Menstruation  -  Ovulation  —  Absence  of  Menses  —  Suppression  of 
Menses  —  Chlorosis  —  Painful  Menstruation  —  Profuse  Men¬ 
struation  —  Change  of  Life. 

MAIDENHOOD  is  ushered  in  by  the  establishment  of 
the  normal  ovarian  and  uterine  functions,  which  are  mani¬ 
fested  by  a  sanguineous  discharge  from  the  vagina,  and 
for  which  every  girl  should  be  prepared  by  a  full  explana¬ 
tion  from  her  mother  or  teacher.  This  discharge  occurs 
periodically  once  every  twenty-eight  days  from  the  time  it 
shows  itself,  excepting  during  pregnancy  and  the  nursing 
period,  for  about  thirty  years.  The  term  menstruation  is 
the  technical  name  by  which  this  flow  is  usually  desig¬ 
nated.  and  it  means  the  flow  of  menses,  or  monthlies.  It 
it  also  designated  by  many  other  names,  as  menses,  month¬ 
lies,  catamenia,  courses,  turns,  terms,  periods,  flowers, 
monthly  sickness,  etc.  Many  of  these  names  are  purely 
local,  and  are  therefore  unintelligible  to  women  in  other 
localities. 

This  flow  of  blood  is  always  dependent  on  ovulation, 
or  the  ripening  and  escape  of  the  ovum,  or  egg,  from  the 
ovary.  It  is  generally  supposed  that  menstruation  and 
ovulation  are  one  and  the  same  process,  but  recent  investi¬ 
gation  has  established  the  fact  that,  while  menstruation 


MENSTRUATION  AND  OVULATION. 


189 

cannot  take  place  without  ovulation,  the  latter  does  often 
take  place  without  the  former. 

It  is  estimated  that  there  are  at  least  thirty-six  thou¬ 
sand  ova,  or  eggs,  in  each  ovary;  therefore,  in  the  human 
family,  only  a  very  small  number  of  these  meet  with  the 
conditions  necessary  for  fruition.  These  eggs  exist  even 
in  fcetal  life,  and  doubtless  undergo  a  gradual  development 
from  birth  to  puberty.  An  examination  of  the  ovaries 
just  before  puberty  would  show  their  surfaces  studded 
with  numerous  nodules  or  projections,  which  are  found  to 
consist  of  sacs  called  Graafian  vesicles,  after  the  anatomist 
who  first  described  them.  These  sacs  contain  the  eggs 
that  have  attained  the  greatest  development,  and  when 
puberty  is  reached  one  of  these  vesicles  becomes  con¬ 
gested  and  the  further  development  of  the  eggs  takes 
place  more  rapidly.  The  size  of  the  egg  and  excessive 
amount  of  blood  in  the  part  cause  the  Graafian  vesicle  to 
rupture,  and  thus  the  egg  escapes  from  the  ovary.  At  this 
moment  the  finger-like  extremities  of  the  Fallopian  tube 
grasp  the  ovary  and  the  escaped  egg  is  sucked  into  the 
canal  that  leads  to  the  womb.  As  a  rule  it  takes  the  egg 
about  fourteen  days  to  pass  through  the  Fallopian  tube 
and  out  of  the  womb,  unless  it  is  impregnated  during  its 
passage,  in  which  case  it  is  lodged  in  the  womb.  After 
the  first  egg  escapes,  it  leaves  a  cavity  in  the  Graafian 
vesicle,  which  gradually  contracts  into  a  small  yellow  spot, 
called,  from  its  color,  the  corpus  luteum,  or  yellow  body. 
As  soon  as  one  egg  escapes,  another  vesicle  begins  to 
enlarge,  and  in  about  four  weeks  it  has  matured,  and 
escapes  the  same  as  before  described. 

This  process  of  the  development  of  the  egg  and  its 
escape  from  the  vesicle  is  attended  by  a  marked  conges- 


il 


of 

'-p 

««* 


\ 

ft 


A  STUDY 


CHLOROSIS,  OR  GREEN  SICKNESS.  1 95 

head  and  back,  and  at  the  same  time  to  relax  the  tension 
of  the  womb,  the  following  may  be  given  with  great 
benefit:  Tincture  of  gelsemium  (fresh  root),  one  ounce; 
tincture  of  black  cohosh,  two  ounces;  simple  syrup, 
enough  to  make  six  ounces.  Dose  —  one  teaspoonful 
after  each  meal  and  at  bedtime.  This  treatment  will 
usually  bring  on  the  flow,  by  causing  a  relaxation  of  the 
tension  of  the  uterine  vessels. 

In  cases  where  the  flow  has  been  suppressed  after 
having  appeared,  the  hip  baths  and  hot  water  bags  must 
be  used,  and  the  above  mixture  given  at  the  time  the  flow 
should  appear.  If  it  fails  to  do  so,  some  aloes  and  iron 
pills  should  be  obtained,  and  one  should  be  taken  after 
each  meal  and  at  bedtime  till  the  time  for  the  next  period 
comes  round.  If  severe  inflammation  of  the  womb  is 
present,  it  may  be  relieved  by  frequent  injections  of  warm 
water  into  the  vagina,  in  which  a  teaspoonful  of  carbolic 
acid  is  dissolved  in  a  quart  of  water.  If  this  fails,  a  phy¬ 
sician  should  be  consulted. 

CHLOROSIS,  OR  GREEN  SICKNESS. 

Chlorosis,  or  green  sickness,  is  a  disorder  of  the  gen¬ 
eral  health,  marked  by  languor,  extreme  debility  and  dis¬ 
ordered  stomach.  It  is  generally  considered  a  disease  of 
the  blood,  in  which  there  is  a  deficiency  of  iron  and  the 
red  corpuscles.  The  skin  is  of  a  yellowish  or  dirty  cream 
color,  which  fact  gives  the  disease  its  name.  It  most  fre¬ 
quently  occurs  at  puberty,  and,  when  it  does,  the  men¬ 
strual  flow  is  scanty,  painful  and  irregular,  or  entirely  ab¬ 
sent.  It  may  also  occur  later  in  life,  when  it  is  usually 
preceded  by  profuse  menstruation  and  leucorrhcea.  It  is 
characteristically  a  disease  caused  by  imperfect  nutrition, 


196  FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 

* 

and,  when  once  developed,  it  is  liable  to  give  rise  to  St. 
Vitus’ dance  and  other  serious  complications. 

The  symptoms  of  chlorosis  are  great  languor,  dislike 
of  exercise,  fatigue  on  the  slightest  exertion,  melancholy, 
love  of  solitude,  disposition  to  weep  without  cause,  im¬ 
paired  or  perverted  appetite,  coated  tongue,  constipated 
bowels,  flatulence,  offensive  breath,  palpitation  of  the 
heart,  quick,  weak  pulse,  frequent  headache,  and  all  the 
symptoms  of  indigestion.  As  the  disease  advances,  the 
muscles  become  soft  and  flabby;  the  lips,  gums  and  inside 
of  mouth  become  pale  and  bloodless;  and  the  skin  takes 
on  the  characteristic  greenish-yellow  hue.  The  menses 
have  not  appeared,  or  are  very  scant  at  first,  and  then 
become  entirely  suppressed.  A  slight  cough  is  often 
present,  even  when  there  is  no  indication  of  lung  trouble. 
The  tissues  waste  rapidly,  and  it  seems  that  death  is 
inevitable. 

Treatment. — The  objects  of  treatment  in  chlorosis  are 
to  correct  any  disorder  of  the  stomach,  and  remove  any 
other  disease  that  maybe  recognized;  to  restore  the  blood 
to  a  normal  condition  by  proper  diet,  exercise,  bathing, 
and  the  use  of  iron  and  vegetable  tonics;  and  to  stimulate 
the  womb  and  ovaries  to  healthy  action.  Constipation 
should  be  overcome  by  taking  one  compound  podophyllin 
pill  every  night  till  the  bowels  move  freely  every  day  ;  all 
articles  containing  starch  or  sugar  should  be  excluded 
from  the  diet,  and  beef  and  mutton  in  various  forms,  with 
milk  and  eggs,  should  be  given  freely,  and,  to  aid  digestion, 
one  teaspoonful  of  elixir  pepsin,  bismuth  and  strychnine 
should  be  given  immediately  after  each  meal.  Fluid 
hydrastis  may  be  given  in  ten-drop  doses  in  a  tablespoon¬ 
ful  of  water,  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  before  each  meal. 


DYSMENORRHCEA,  OR  PAINFUL  MENSTRUATION.  1 99 

pulsive  pains,  resembling  labor  pains,  will  come  on  at 
intervals  of  a  few  minutes  apart.  The  flow  is  very  scant 
at  first,  but  gradually  becomes  free  as  the  pain  par¬ 
tially  or  entirely  ceases.  This  form  of  the  disorder  may 
result  from  cold,  and  only  occur  at  one  period,  or  it 
may  become  habitual,  being  very  mild  during  some 
periods,  and  greatly  aggravated  at  others. 

No  woman  requires  to  be  told  that  she  has  painful 
menstruation,  but,  with  the  exception  of  the  neuralgic 
variety,  she  cannot  tell  what  variety  she  suffers  from;  and, 
as  the  treatment  depends  on  an  accurate  knowledge  of 
the  condition  of  the  womb,  the  physician  should  make 
an  examination  before  commencing  treatment. 

It  will  be  found  that  mechanical  dysmenorrhcea  is 
most  common  among  maidens  who  have  just  begun  to 
menstruate,  and  who  have  suffered  from  the  first  period. 
Yet  cases  are  also  found  later  in  life,  especially  among 
women  whose  wombs  have  been  injured  by  different 
labors  or  criminal  abortion.  Young  girls  may  also  suffer 
from  the  congestive  form,  but  this  and  the  inflammatory 
conditions  are  more  commonly  met  with  among  married 
women.  The  neuralgic  variety  may  occur  at  any  period 
of  life,  but  is  most  commonly  met  with  among  unmarried 
women  about  the  age  of  thirty. 

Treatment. —  Mechanical  dysmenorrhcea  must  be 
treated  by  mechanical  means.  Cutting  the  canal  through 
the  neck  of  the  womb  to  make  it  larger  is  practiced  by 
many  specialists,  but  is  mentioned  here  only  to  be  con¬ 
demned  as  a  general  practice.  In  some  cases  the  mouth 
of  the  womb  is  almost  occluded,  and  here  the  cutting  is 
necessary.  Dilatation  by  sponge  and  sea-tangle  tents  is 
also  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  enlarging  the  canal. 


200 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


and,  when  no  other  means  are  at  hand,  it  may  answer  the 
purpose,  though  it  is  painful  and  often  tedious.  By  the 
use  of  modern  instruments  for  dilatation,  by  skillful  hands 
all  mechanical  obstructions  can  be  removed  so  that  the 
menses  will  come  and  go  without  pain  or  suffering  of  any 
kind. 

The  pain  of  congestive  and  inflammatory  dysmen- 
orrhcea  is  best  relieved  during  the  period  by  the  free  use 
of  hot  hip-baths  and  the  administration  of  the  following: 
Tincture  of  gelsemium  (from  fresh  root)  one-half  ounce; 
tincture  skunk  cabbage  (fresh  root),  one  ounce;  viburnum 
compound  (Hayden’s),  enough  to  make  six  ounces.  Mix, 
and  take  one  teaspoonful  in  one-third  goblet  of  boiling 
water  every  half-hour  till  relieved.  During  the  interim 
between  the  periods  the  congestion  or  inflammation  should 
be  cured  by  proper  local  treatment. 

Neuralgic  dysmenorrhoea  may  be  relieved  by  the 
mixture  above  recommended,  and  it  should  be  given  in 
the  same  way.  Where  the  disease  is  habitual,  greatbene- 
fit  is  derived  by  continuing  to  take  one  dose  of  the  same 
mixture  after  each  meal  and  at  bedtime  during  the 
interim  between  the  periods.  Unmarried  women  over 
twenty-five  who  suffer  from  this  form  of  dysmenorrhoea 
will  almost  invariably  find  permanent  relief  from  marriage, 
the  reason  for  which  will  be  given  in  a  subsequent  chap¬ 
ter. 


MENORRHAGIA,  OR  PROFUSE  MENSTRUATION. 

The  term  menorrhagia  means  an  increase  in  the  men¬ 
strual  flow,  a  condition  which  is  commonly  called  profuse 
menstruation.  This  may  occur  at  any  period  of  life,  in  the 
full-blooded  and  robust,  or  in  the  feeble  and  delicate. 


CHANGE  OF  LIFE. 


201 


Some  women  always  have  a  profuse  menstrual  flow,  and 
yet  appear  to  be  in  good  health,  but,  as  a  rule,  such  a  flow 
indicates  either  an  excessive  quantity  of  blood  in  the  sys¬ 
tem,  or  a  general  weakness  which  permits  almost  an 
actual  hemorrhage  from  the  womb. 

In  some  cases  the  menstrual  flow  occurs  every  two  or 
three  weeks,  or  even  oftener,  and  again  the  periods  may 
occur  regularly,  but  the  quantity  of  blood  lost  is  very 
excessive.  In  some  cases  the  discharge  is  normal  men¬ 
strual  blood,  while  in  others  it  seems  like  a  hemorrhage 
from  the  uterine  blood-vessels.  In  these  last-mentioned 
cases  the  blood  coagulates,  or  clots,  in  the  womb,  as  well 
as  in  the  vagina,  and  after  it  has  escaped  from  that  canal. 

The  usual  symptoms  of  menorrhagia:  General  debility, 
paleness  of  face,  cold  feet  and  hands,  severe  pain  in  lower 
part  of  the  back  and  abdomen,  severe  headache  at  times, 
and  derangement  of  the  stomach.  It  may  be  caused  by 
cold,  severe  exertion,  mental  emotions,  excessive  sexual 
indulgence,  severe  child-birth,  and  abortion.  Aside  from 
the  general  condition  of  the  system,  the  uterus  is  almost 
always  in  an  unhealthy  condition  when  profuse  menstru¬ 
ation  occurs,  and  it  is  therefore  important  that  proper 
medical  skill  should  be  employed  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment.  During  the  profuse  flow  the  patient  should  keep 
quiet,  and  avoid  all  undue  exertion,  and  if  the  case  is 
severe  she  should  remain  in  bed  till  the  flow  stops.  As 
soon  as  it  does  so,  the  general  and  local  treatment  should 
be  commenced,  and  continued  through  the  interum. 

CHANGE  OF  LIFE. 

The  ovarian  and  uterine  functions  continue  operative 
for  a  period  of  thirty  or  thirty-two  years,  after  which  there 


202 


FACTS  FOR  LADIES. 


is  a  cessation  of  the  menstrual  flow.  This  indicates  a  ces¬ 
sation  of  ovulation,  after  which  a  woman  is  incapable  of 
bearing  children. 

This  climacteric  period  is  called  the  menopause ,  or 
“  change  of  life,”  during  which  women  have  been  taught 
to  expect  that  they  must  of  necessity  be  invalids,  and  that 
it  is  a  critical  period  through  which  they  cannot  pass 
without  great  suffering,  and  danger  to  life  and  reason. 
This  is  a  great  mistake,  and  every  effort  should  be  made 
to  make  women  understand  that  the  ailments  incident  to 
this  period  are  due  to  some  previous  disorder  of  the 
uterus  or  ovaries,  or  to  some  other  diseased  condition  of 
the  body. 

In  healthy  women  the  menses  cease  for  good  with 
no  more  inconvenience  or  suffering  than  attends  the  ces¬ 
sation  of  each  monthy  flow,  and  it  is  absurd  to  suppose 
that  every  womaF  must  be  an  invalid  for  three  or  four  of 
the  best  years  of  her  life. 

About  the  forty-fifth  year  of  age  the  menses  begin  to 
be  irregular,  and  after  a  few  months  cease  entirely.  In 
tropical  climates  the  cessation  maybe  several  years  earlier, 
while  some  women  reach  the  menopause  much  earlier 
than  others,  even  in  the  same  latitudes.  On  the  other 
hand,  many  women  menstruate  regularly  till  their  forty- 
eighth  or  fiftieth  year. 

Among  those  who  suffer  at  the  “  change  of  life,” 
hot  flashes  is  the  most  common  symptom.  This  is  first 
felt  as  a  sudden  heat  of  the  body,  which  usually  rushes  to 
the  head  and  face,  sometimes  causing  dizziness.  This 
feeling  is  often  followed  by  a  perspiration,  and  then  a 
sensation  of  chilliness.  Sometimes  a  chill  precedes  the  hot 
flashes. 


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